Another Jurys action in build up to arms conference

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Sunday October 17, 2004 16:13 by Joe

Over the last couple of weeks there have been action at Jurys hotels in Ireland and in Britain in the build up to this Tuesdays protests at Jurys Berkeley Court Hotel, Ballsbridge at 5pm. On Saturday Dublin Grassroots Network (DGN) activists entered the Westbury hotel and distributed leaflets to the guests and those in the bar and cafe before being escourted from the premises

So called 'less lethal' weapons have already claimed at least 14 lives in Ireland, 3 of them children. Jane the conferences promoters have chosen the title to imply these weapons are an alternative to guns, in reality they are often used in situations where their would be a public outcry in law officials used guns. Last week five Portland police officers called to a school to deal with an 11 year old boy tasered him after he brandished a school compass[1]! And last year they tasered a 71 year old blind woman!!!

The electric shock forms of these weapons are used, according to Amnesty Internal, as torture devices by a number of governments. Those at the conference pay around 1,600 euro a head to be there, why should we permit the trading of torture weapons so openly in our city.

M.C for the conference is former RUC officer Colin Burrows, others present include members of police forces from Los Angeles, and the infamous English West Midlands division who fitted up many Irish and other people for crimes they were not bothered solving. Quite why we are expected to trust the beaters of Rodney King or the West Midlands cops with such weapons is not clear.

On Saturday many hotel staff appeared to be turning a blind eye to the leaflet distribution and by the time management had woke up we had given leaflets to everyone in the hotel and placed more on empty surfaces. After we had been escourted out we leafletted outside and management called the Gardai with 3 arriving within a few minutes. There was not much they could do about us leafletting and talking to guests and others using the hotel so once we had run out of leaflets we moved off.

In a press release DGN said they "are calling for people for people to assemble at 4.45 pm on Tuesday 19th of October at the junction of Landsdowne road and Shellbourne road (just up from Landsdowne road Dart Station)". Come along and join the protest.

{Photos of Saturdays protest to follow]


[1] see http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/299642.shtml