Workers Solidarity Movement

The evening of March 8th evening saw thousands march through Dublin for Internationals Womens Day but also to demand Repeal of the 8th Amendment which bans abortion in Ireland.  The governement have finally been forced to call a referendum to get rid of the 8th - speakers at the rally at the end talked about how this could come about and the formation of a new organisation to joinly campaign for repeal.  Demonstrations and other events took place across Ireland to mark this.

The Direct Provision institutions were introduced as a supposedly temporary measure in 2000.  17 years later they are still with us and some have spent over a decade trapped in the institutional isolation and poverty they create.  Adult residents receive €21.60 a week and some like Mosney are in isolated locations with no transport connections.  Visitors are controlled and there are little or no cooking facilities which means the children who have grown up there have seldom tasted their parents cooking and have been unable to have friends sleep over.

Interesting bit of Dublin squatting history just went online, a video of the the 2003 attempt to squat the Disco Disco building at 41 Parnell square (West). The building had been vacant for well over a decade at that stage (and may still be?) but shortly after the squatters started securing the building a gang of heavies arrived down (10.55 in the video) and attacked them. The cops arrived and pushed their way into the building after the door had been partly opened to allow someone injured in the attack to seek medical attention.

With the referendum not even definitively announced the anti-women bigots are already up to dirty tricks. This image of fake posters removed from Dublin's Pearse st this morning was tweeted by Sharon ✨ @sharmander_says a couple of hours ago. If you spot similar posters we suggest you remove them and message us a photo and the location and time they were spotted.  We would also be very interested in any information on who put these up.

This just underlines the importance of a massive turnout on Saturday's March for Choice, Parnell sq, 14.00.

The 6th annual March for Choice takes place September 30th in Dublin and once more we are bringing together an anarchist bloc for the march - join us on the day.

It's going to be an important march as the government have promised a referendum next year but have not yet announced a date or indeed what we will actually be allowed to vote on.  There is a real danger that rather than a vote to delete the 8th Amendment they will seek to replace it with text that would still seek to deny bodily autonomy and allow abortion access in very restricted circumstances.  Some 12 people a day are forced to travel to access abortion and more use pills at home under the theoretical threat of a 14 year jail term, the danger is that many of these people would still be unable to access abortion and pregnant people would continue to find the 8th amendment denied them control in their own pregnancy.

Why have there been pickets outside massage parlours on Dorset St? Do they really pose any danger? Do these protests help those who work there, or actually make them more afraid and isolated? Watch the video below.

You are invited to a public conversation on anti-fascist resistance with a visting long time anarchist and anti-fascist from the USA and a panel of other anarchists from the US.

Teachers Club 35 Parnell Square, Dublin
7:45 Thursday 24th August

Recently anti-fascists mobilised in Dublin to cover far-right propaganda in the city centre and send a clear pro-freedom and humanist message. 500 stickers welcoming refugees, denouncing Nazism & fascism, sexism, and homophobia, supporting a pregnant person's right to choose, and so forth, were emblazoned on the social canvas.

This was partially in response to a fascist group attempting to launch in Dublin a couple weeks ago, in an esteemed lineage of micro-sects which the same begrudgers have failed to get off the ground in this country, forgetting to turn up to their own meeting while 50 anti-fascists turned out. However, they were very proud to attach 4-5 fascist stickers to Dublin lampposts (which were all scratched off promptly).

From the Anti-Racism Network Ireland: