United we must Stand!

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday May 08, 2002 21:23 by Pauli Stoneybatter D7

The dangers of getting into bed with the mainstream media.

This piece is a positive response to all the negative pieces about "hijacking" etc, and why this sort of thing is just playing into the hands of the establishment. In Ireland we need to learn from the example of our friends around the world and get over our petty differences. It also goes into why Indymedia is so important in this situation, and the dangers of getting into bed with the mainstream media, and finally why we need to unite, not fight amongst ourselves.

When, a few weeks ago, I heard the news of Indymedia starting an Irish website I was delighted. However having read some of the threads about Monday's RTS event I have been somewhat disillusioned. The whole idea of having Indymedia is to counter the agenda driven established media. It is evident, from some of the pieces about Monday’s event, that there is a lot of ignorance about the workings of the mainstream media. There are dangers in getting into bed with the likes of RTE and the Irish Independent. Anyway hopefully when the dust settles on this current affair and people see what the mainstream media has done to it(the constant use of the phrase "anti-globalisation" and the description of Indymedia as "production company" on 5-7 Live-just two examples so far) some of this ignorance may be enlightened.

The main point I want to make is about the "slagging match" which has developed on this site and in the mainstream media. Every person engaged in this ridiculous, negative and ultimately damaging discussion should take a step back and have a think about what they are saying. This site is a free forum for everybody but that does not mean writing any old "off the cuff" rant. It should be about INTELLIGENT and INFORMED debate. It is not intended as a forum for tabloid style negativity. Please think before you write, that’s what you have a brain for.

The reclaim the streets, anti-capitalist, environmental, socialist, anarchist, social-justice, internationalist, whatever your calling, are all groups which at their core, have the same, or similar goals. This, as George Monbiot has pointed out on numerous occasions, should be called, (if people are so desperate for a label) "the Movement". The important thing about this movement is that it is about Direct Action, which is something all these groups have in common. "Whenever it appears to have assumed an identity outsiders believe they can grasp, it morphs into something else. It is driven by a new, responsive politics, informed not by ideology but by need"-Monbiot.

Whether you agree with the SWP or not, it does not justify the type of mindless abusive sentiments that are being aired on this site or elsewhere. It just divides the movement, which is exactly what the mainstream wants. Divided and unorganised, we are useless. This is the biggest and most serious problem we face for the future. The movement in Ireland seems determined to destroy itself. Nobody, not the RTS, not the SWP, not any of these groups can be effective without working together. You may not like the SWP, their paper sellers, or their tactics, but to even suggest that they should be prevented from doing what they do, or in the words of one contributor to this site "just FUCK OFF", is just the sort of intolerant facist nonsense we are RESISTING. We’re all in this together.

We must look to our friends all over the world, who are gathering together at events like Monday’s RTS, in cities all over this planet. They are a diverse collective of different organisations all with a goal of International Social Justice, whether it being reclaiming public spaces, or arguing for debt relief in the third world. They dance, and march side by side, regardless of political ideology differences. They are "The Movement", and we in Ireland have to STOP our petty squabbling and Come Together, for the benefit of all our aims. Some groups may have conflicting ideas, some may try to hijack events, whatever. But only by coming together, and engaging in intelligent and consensual debate, can this challenge be met, not by adolescent name calling, and verbal abuse. We must GROW UP!. It doesn’t matter who organised the protest for Thursday night, it is irrelevant, who requires permission from who, etc., is utter rubbish. RTS are a non-hierarchical collective and this would be a total contraction. You can see how desperate the mainstream media are to label the movement, to pigeon-hole it. This is a systematic thing for them, they need to know who is responsible, who are the individuals, what are the organisations called. We must resist this, we must continue to use the internet, word of mouth, postering etc. We must not allow ourselves to be in a position where we need to ask for permission every time we want to have a gathering. This is central to every thing we stand for. When the mainstream media wolves come along we must not be fooled by their wooly jackets. We have our own Indymedia now. To paraphrase RTS, when they come calling for names the reply must be a UNITED "WE".