Ongoing Occupation of Green Party TD's Office
dublin |
education |
news report 
Thursday December 04, 2008 13:50
by Jay - Free Education for Everyone
stopfees at gmail dot com
Over 20 students from UCD have occupied the office of Paul Gogarty Green Party TD for Dublin Mid-West and Spokesperson on Education in Lucan Village. This is in protest at the increase in college registration fees to €1500 per year and the possible full re-introduction of fees.
The occupation is organised by the campaigning group, Free Education for Everyone (FEE), and is part of a national day of protest across the country against fees organised by FEE. Protests are also planned in Cork and Galway today.
Free Education for Everyone is a campaigning group of students set up to fight the re-introduction of fees and for genuinely free education for all. FEE groups exist in UCD, Trinity, Maynooth, UCC, UL and NUIG. FEE activists have organised protests, occupations and blockades across the country over the past number of months. Find out more at www.free-education.info
Comments (23 of 23)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Occupation is in full swing.
Anyone who can spare any time today please show your solidarity and come down to the occupied office of Paul Gogarty Green Party TD in Lucan Village.
Stop fees! Stop the education cuts!
They say cutback! We say fight back!
Occupation still going.
Solidarity needed.
So what if they're UCD students? Surely the fact that FEE is a multi-campus thing makes labelling these students a regressive exercise?
Just got a phonecall - protestors have been removed from the building with force by the boys in blue- The door was battered down and students brought off in a paddy wagon. Updates to follow.
Over 20 FEE (Free Education for Everyone ) activists in Cork occupied a room in the President of UCC's office for over an hour this morning before being removed by the Gardai.
This action was to protest the college authorities' support for the re-introduction of college fees, and the government's attack on education via the hike in the registration fee, the threat of full fees and draconian education cutbacks across the board.
9 people were taken out with their hands cable-tied behind their backs and taken off in a Garda van. We don't know what station they've been taken to. 4 people outside the building were section 8'd.
9 protesters who have been occupying the office of Green Party TD and education spokesperson to protest against fees, registration fee hike and education cuts have been removed by the Gardai and have all been arrested. They are currently in Leixslip Garda Station.
Further reports will follow.
I arrived outside the Green Party TDs office around 2.30PM today.
Straight away I was asked by the Gardaí where I was going to. They had already taken details from others, and it was fairly clear they hadn't a clue what was going on to be honest. They maintained a constant presence outside the building, asking those of us who showed up late to "move along now" with talk of 'Public Order Offences' and the sort, all despite the fact we had no banner and were creating no disturbences. Bizarre. There were half a dozen of us outside at the time the occupation ended, and we were threatened with arrest on several occasions, though for what I'm still not exactly sure.
The office was held from around 1.40 until just before 4.00. Speaking to those inside during the course of the day they all seemed in very good spirits. Two members had left before the end of the protest, and were taken to the local Garda station. Those inside had intentions of sticking around until 9pm or so, which to be honest seemed a realistic ambition given the absolute cluelessness of 'the boys' outside.
Around 3.45 it became obvious to those of us outside the Gardaí were about to move in, at which point contact was made with those inside to let them now. A Garda vehicle first went to the back of the building, but later reversed to the front. Several of the FEE activists who left the office appeared to us to be handcuffed (cable ties?) and all seemed in very good spirits, even joining in on our chanting. The Gardaí refused to tell us what station they had been taken to, and in fairness to him the man was nice enough to actually direct us TO the bus stop and wish us a safe journey home!
There was a local media presence too towards the end, so hopefully the story will be picked up.
At the time of writing I don't know what, if anything, the lads in question have been charged with.
***I'm also about to upload images from today.
Three images from earlier today.
The Office Of Mister Gogarty
The Van
Taking them out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1YRaRScOt4
VERY brief and equally shoddy quality video of the FEE activists being removed from the building and loaded off into the van.
Mobile phone, so lower them speakers ;)
Dublin:
"A group of UCD students have occupied the offices of Green Party TD Paul Gogarty in Lucan, Co Dublin. The students say they are protesting against the Budget hike in third level registration fees.
It is understood nine demonstrators are in the office. They said earlier this afternoon that they intended to stay for at least a few hours. The students say they are part of a group called Free Education for Everyone."
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1204/fees.html
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Galway:
"Student Protestors have been moved from the office of Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O'Cuiv. About 30 students gathered outside the office on Flood Street in the city campaigning against the possible re-introduction of third level fees.
Almost 20 students staged an in-house protest at the constituency office for over an hour and a half. A spokesperson for Minister O'Cuiv told Galway Bay FM News that Gardai were called over concerns for staff at the Constituency office. Student protestors have now been moved on."
http://www.galwaynews.ie/5827-gardai-move-student-prote...entre
Fair play to the lads in Dublin and Cork, we achieved the best we could in Galway, we wanted the 4 secretaries to leave but they were too devoted to Eamon O'Cuiv's coc.... sorry ....cause, so we had a sit-in for around 2 hours before the gardai arrived and started threatening us with 6 months in prison or €5000 in fines. 20 of us in the office, thats 2 protests in the space of a week in Galway, come the New Year we will be more prepared than ever.
I see the Lucan office is in a building called muintir na tire. This community co-operation organisation was started down Tipp way by a Canon Hayes around the early 1930s. Is yer TD man's office rented from muintir? I allus thought muintir was non party political.
I arrived at the scene around 3.00, myself and many other pedestrian onlookers where threatened with arrest if we failed to comply with the Gardi's commands to leave the area. Regardless, my fellow students and I where committed to take photographs of the occurrence. Given the current political climate and the nations support for the student cause the Gardi obviously thought it wise to conceal the incident and prevent a crowd from formulating. The day pedestrians are threatened with imprisonment for exhibiting curiosity with regards a peaceful demonstration is sad day indeed.
The brave volunteers who participated in yesterdays demonstration are an inspiration not just to students but to citizens across the nation. They risk possible criminal charges for daring to make a bold statement about the current situation, a situation where registration has risen to €1500 per year and we face the possible re-introduction of fees. Little bother to the boys and girls in blue with there cushy numbers who according to the Central statistics office receive a weekly average of 1,205.94 - (not bad for harassing alienated youths between trips to Supermacs is it ?). The children of the wealthy will not be hit by the gov cutbacks, naturally the burden will fall on the working class, not the plutocrats who run this joke of a system nor there little blue minions.
National Day of Action - 4th Dec. 2008
Dublin:
A dozen students occupied the office of Paul Gogarty, Green Party TD for Dublin Mid-West and Spokesperson on Education in Lucan Village. Nine protestors were arrested by the Gardai and removed from the office in handcuffs after three hours. They were
released from the Garda stations in Leixlip and Lucan at around 7.30pm.
Cork:
Over twenty students occupied the UCC's President's Office for over an hour this morning before being removed by the Gardai. No reports of arrests.
Galway:
Over twenty students occupied the office of Eamon O'Cuiv, Fianna Fail TD and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The gardai removed them after an hour and a half. Again, no reports of any arrests.
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Stop the Education Cuts! National Rally.
Saturday 6th December. Meeting @ 12pm @ Parnell Square.
Yesterday seems like years ago right now... A very long day to say the least!
As one of he occupiers I feel like yesterday was a great success. We stuck together as a group, and even when threatened and intimidated by the coppers, we decided we were staying.
As they got the battering ram out and start knockng down the heavily blockaded door we started chanting very loudly: "What do we want?" "Free Education!", "When do we want it?" "NOW!"
I was taken off to clondalkin station and kept there for a few hours, interrogated, and then left to go. We will know in a few weeks whether they are going to charge us. They arrested us for section 2 of the criminal justice act: Criminal Damage. We didn't damage or break anything, it was the coppers who took down the door, so we have a good chance of only getting cautioned.
Huge thumbs up for FEE around the country, and to a successful national day of action!
This is great work folks, well done. It's a pity the Gardaí didn't encourage you more; their kids will benefit from what you are trying to achieve at least as much, if not more, as you will.
Well done to all involved, and well done to FEE, you are doing great work.
International Week of Action planned for next April/May
hey guys theres three of us here who were in gogartys office and we just wanted to say thanks to all who showed their support and came along on thursday:
the fight against fees must continue in 2009
Conall, Paul and Conor
They say cutbacks
we say FIGHTBACK
Yesterday students began an occuption to "Take Back NYU". Live streaming coverage here:
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/18/take-back-nyu-...tion/
Their site:
www.takebacknyu.com
Their demands:
We, the students of NYU, declare an occupation of this space. This occupation is the culmination of a two-year campaign by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow.
In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we demand the following:
1. Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.
2. Full compensation for all employees whose jobs were disrupted during the course of the occupation.
3. Public release of NYU’s annual operating budget, including a full list of university expenditures, salaries for all employees compensated on a semester or annual basis, funds allocated for staff wages, contracts to non-university organizations for university construction and services, financial aid data for each college, and money allocated to each college, department, and administrative unit of the university. Furthermore, this should include a full disclosure of the amount and sources of the university’s funding.
4. Disclosure of NYU’s endowment holdings, investment strategy, projected endowment growth, and persons, corporations and firms involved in the investment of the university’s endowment funds. Additionally, we demand an endowment oversight body of students, faculty and staff who exercise shareholder proxy voting power for the university’s investments.
5. That the NYU Administration agrees to resume negotiations with GSOC/UAW Local 2110 – the union for NYU graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants. That NYU publicly affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU publicly affirm that it will recognize workers’ unions through majority card verification.
6. That NYU signs a contract guaranteeing fair labor practices for all NYU employees at home and abroad. This contract will extend to subcontracted workers, including bus drivers, food service employees and anyone involved in the construction, operation and maintenance at any of NYU’s non-U.S. sites.
7. The establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee. This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions. The committee will be composed of two subcommittees: one to assess the operating budget and one to assess the endowment holdings. Each committee will be composed of ten students democratically elected from the graduate and under-graduate student bodies. All committee decisions will be made a strict majority vote, and will be upheld by the university. All members of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will sit on the board of trustees, and will have equal voting rights. All Socially Responsible Finance Committee and Trustee meetings shall be open to the public, and their minutes made accessible electronically through NYU’s website. Elections will be held the second Tuesday of every March beginning March 10th 2009, and meetings will be held biweekly beginning the week of March 30th 2009.
8. That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance committee will be:
a) An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
b) A reassessment of the recently lifted of the ban on Coca Cola products.
9. That annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year. These scholarships will include funding for books, housing, meals and travel expenses.
10. That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.
11. Tuition stabilization for all students, beginning with the class of 2012. All students will pay their initial tuition rate throughout the course of their education at New York University. Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation, nor shall they exceed one percent. The university shall meet 100% of government-calculated student financial need.
12. That student groups have priority when reserving space in the buildings owned or leased by New York University, including, and especially, the Kimmel Center.
13. That the general public have access to Bobst Library.
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student occupations in Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, as well as those of the University of Rochester, the New School for Social Research, and with future occupations to come in the name of democracy and student power. We stand in solidarity with the University of Gaza, and with the people of Palestine.
We've sent them an email of solidarity.
http://free-education.info/2009/02/19/new-york-usa-new-york-university-nyu-occupied/
Education is NOT free. It is paid for by the taxpayer. The main beneficiary of this generosity are the middle-classes (who pay most of the tax anyway). They also vote in greater numbers than any other section of society. Woe betide any party at the next election if they try to interfere with this most sacred of the many middle class perks.
Could you please give other participants of the student movement the possibility to contact you, or get information?
Like a website or an e-mail adress?
Solidarity from Innsbruck/Austria, all the best and don't just think local - in a globalized world we should discuss emanzipatoring education for all - as ensured in the human rights.
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