EU-US summit not in ireland due to security concerns?

national | anti-capitalism | news report

Tuesday November 18, 2003 18:23

by lish

The Sunday Business Post article Nov 16th.
by Barry 0' Kelly & Sean Mac Carthaigh

Ireland is likely to lose the prestigious European Union-United States summit meeting because of fears that the gardai will be unable to cope with large numbers of anti-globalisation protestors.

Sources said that garda management had revealed that no major EU events will happen during the six month presidency because of the difficulty in policing the protests.
"we have been told there will only be ministerial meetings", an officer said.

while the two main summit meetings were to be held in Brussels rather than Dublin, the order casts doubt on other prestigious events. It means that the gathering of European leaders planned for May 1 to celebrate the arrival of ten new member states may be abandonned or slimmed down.

US political observers say Bush, who is facing an election in November next year would relish an opportunity to be photographed in Dublin, replete with rosy-cheeked Irish children waving U.S. flags, as this would endear him to some 40 million Irish-American voters.

Bur his campaign team would find less attractive images of Bush being confronted by angry anti-war protestors.

Special Branch officers said the anti-globalisation movement is planning a series of protests during the presidency with more than 30,000 activists due to descend on Ireland for any major EU heads of state meeting during the Irish presidency.

( bit about unofficial go-slow by garda escort drivers...)

The Indymedia website for Ireland reported last week on a meeting of anti-globalisation grassroots activists, which "set up some basic organisational structures to organise protests during the various EU meetings to take place in Ireland next year."

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Comments (9 of 9)

Oh my, they're paying attention!

by Steelie

Tue Nov 18, 2003 18:34

"The Indymedia website for Ireland reported last week on a meeting of anti-globalisation grassroots activists, which "set up some basic organisational structures to organise protests during the various EU meetings to take place in Ireland next year." Well played indymedia and Grassroots Gathering. The mighty are awful nervous about the mighty oaks that are growing from our acorns.

Isn't it heartening

by David

Tue Nov 18, 2003 18:39

That those who claim to be acting in the interests of the ordinary people are too afraid to actually be near any of them without hoards of secret police to protect them?

So...

by Acid

Tue Nov 18, 2003 20:35

They're thinking of not hosting a major summit because of protests....shit!! We must be doing something right!

Well done everyone!

by David C.

Wed Nov 19, 2003 06:09

Sometimes Indymedia works!

Well done

by Greedo

Wed Nov 19, 2003 10:30

A small but vocal minority ruins it for everyone. Very democratic. The noisy minority in the UK will prolly give the wrong impression in London this week too.

Shame on you people, you are the antithesis of people power.

(bit about unofficial go-slow escort drivers)

by F - Garda Re-representative Association

Wed Nov 19, 2003 13:35

Yep, well done indymedia, but ALSO
Ireland is LIKELY to lose the EU-US summit because of difficulty on POLICING the protest. The likely lose of the EU-US summit is about protestors, in this case the gardai are also protestors.
The go-slow protest by garda escort drivers is already embarrassing for the govt., revealing bad relations.
(over the unfair dismissal of garda colleagues ?, pay ?, overtime ?, training ?).
This embarrassment would be amplified under the glare of international media if the summit was held in Ireland

If garda demands were met would the summit be back on the agenda ?

Note to gardai - indymedia is also a space to air your concerns.

Wed Nov 19, 2003 17:33

from the same article:
"Globalise Resistance has said it will mobilise as many protestors for the Dublin meetings as it did for the Genoa G8 summit which ended in chaos.

Gardai have been trained in the use of CS gas, pepper spray and non-lethal shotguns filled with bags of plastic beads in advance of the presidency.The bean bag gun works like a stun gun , temporarily paralysing its victims, but causing no permanent injury.

Green MEP for Leinster Patricia McKenna :" I hope the gardai know what may hit them. The EU has tried to make it harder and harder for protestors to gather by staging summits in remote places. But because the Irish meetings will be in Dublin it will make it very attractive for protestors from across Europe."

salt an a deadly peppa

by ollie - katalyzer

Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:56

while everything and anything printed on 'this type of thing' in the mainstream press needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, if the Irish police are indeed experimentin with pepper spray, that is worrying.

There are many many good sources of info on what's wrong with pepper spray, and below is just a little short intro -

http://www.nopepperspray.org/sordid.htm

That this type of blatant corruption and nepotism goes on is one thing: that pepper spray is inherently dangerous is another ,more serious matter.

Don't think it's anything to do with protestors

by Ciara K

Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:07

You must be joking. Do you think the usual "awkward squad" lying down in the road would make any difference?

It' been cancelled becuase of your friends in Al Qaeda. Or the Al Ciada (a covert CIA operaton) as some of you potheads seem to think.

Must sound like a great theory over a bong.

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EU-US summit not in ireland due to security concerns?

Comments (9 of 9)