war is imminent - organise now!

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday March 18, 2003 23:48 by Irish Anti War Movement - Irish Anti War Movement info at irishantiwar dot org 087-6329511

war is imminent - organise now!

IRISH ANTI WAR MOVEMENT 18/03/03 WAR IMMINENT - BUILD URGENTLY FOR STOPPAGE AND PROTESTS - SIPTU BACK STOPPAGE-NEEDED LEAFLETERS/POSTERERS

IRISH ANTI WAR MOVEMENT
18/03/03
WAR IMMINENT - BUILD URGENTLY FOR STOPPAGE AND PROTESTS - SIPTU BACK STOPPAGE-NEEDED LEAFLETERS/POSTERERS

War is now imminent. It is likely that it will commence in the early hours of Thursday morning. So Thursday is likely to be Day X. Time is short. We must work to ensure huge protests on that day and the weekend following. SIPTU the countries largest trade union has now publically endorsed the ten minute stoppage at midday on day X and the other protests. This is hugely significant and will make it much easier to rally support for the the stoppage and subsequent protests that evening at 6pm and the mass demonstrations next Saturday. However, we stil need to push support for the stoppage and protests ourselves at a local and shopfloor level. The key to delivering action on these things wiull be every individual anti war activist raising the issue of the stoppage with their workmates, classmates, neighbours today and tommorow. If every person who recieves this e-mail can convince some or all of their workmates to stop work at noon of Day X this will make the stoppage work. Also try and make it as public as you can. If people are agreed to the stoppage try and do something for the ten minutes eg Get everybody out on the street or outside the workplace wearing a white armband are holding a home made banner or placard. Even a piece of paper with "no war" or peace written on it would be good. Even better make a banner tonight that you can hang out of your workplace, house window or a bridge near you. Some groups are organising for someone to read anti war poem or give a short speech at their workplace protest. Im sure people will have their own ideas as well but the main thing is to get commitments from workmates etc now.

To help build up the momentum for the protest there are tens of thousands of leaflets and posters available. Again time is short but if you want leaflets to distribute in your workplace, school, college, local area phone 087-6329511. Also we are trying to organise city centre postering and leafleting all day tomorrow. Anybody not at work or available and willing to do stuff ring the above nummber also.

The Main Dublin protest on Day X will be at the US Embassy at 6pm. Again you need to start spreading the word now, giving out leaflets telling everybody to get to the US embassy the evening of any attack. For those in Dublin City Centre we will have a presence outside Dail Eireann from 12am on the day of any attack. Anybody who works near by or who is off and can get down should. If as looks likely Day X is Thursday our protest outside the Dail will coincide with a debate in the Dail on Shannon. The Dail has been reconvened especially to debate the issue. This will be an imporetaqnce last chance to demand our government have nothing to do with this war. The protest will go on from at least 12 till 2pm.

Outside Dublin all towns and cities will be organising protests in their town centre at 6pm on the evening of an attack. (See local posters for details). If one is not organisised in your town try and organise one yourself. Even a vigil with a few people will be an important contribution to the national and international protests that will be taking place.

Finally, don't forget we want to see mass demonstrations in the major cites on the Saturday following (almost certainly this Saturday.) The Cities where protests are due to happen are Dublin (Assemble Central Bank, 2pm), Cork (1pm Daunt Sq), Galway, Waterford, Belfast and Derry. We are asking everyone else to go to one of these larger protests rather than stay in their own town on Saturday, if that is possible. It is important that the numbers are very large. On that day a few huge protests will be more effective than lots of small ones. This is the plan in the rest of the world where most of the weekend protests will take place in Capitals or very large cities. This means for example, Drogheda, Wicklow, Meath, Kildare, Offally, Longford, Carlow should go to the Dublin demonstration. People should start arranging transport to the Saturday protest nearest them now.

Finally, many of the local anti war groups and branches will be meeting this week. If you want to be put in touch with a local group tel 087-6329511

Regards. Richard Boyd Barrett, chair Irish Anti War Movement.