Workers Solidarity Movement

November saw WSM members gather for their national conference. These take place twice a year and all members can attend, submit motions and vote. The National Secretary reported that membership had increased by 25%. Although we are still a small organisation this was encouraging, as was the increased circulation of Workers Solidarity. A report is available at www. wsm.ie/story/3156.The closing weeks of 2007 saw WSM members who have been working with the Wheelock family’s campaign for an inquiry into the death of Terrence after his arrest by gardai from Dublin’s Store Street station help organise a public meeting, which saw 200 people fill the ballroom of the Royal Dublin Hotel.

As the hawks in Washington made noises about targeting Iran, we helped to set up the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign. This opposes any US attack on that country and also supports trade unionists, women and progressives in their fight against the theocratic regime in Tehran. At November’s Irish Anti-War Movement protest in Dublin Iranian exile Yassamine Mather was invited to address the crowd on behalf of HOPI, and on the same day a teach-in about Iran was held. So far four political organisations (Irish Socialist Network, Working Class Action, Socialist Democracy and the WSM) and as well as individuals have joined this new grouping.

Cork WSM hosted a public meeting in the Metropole Hotel where Leiser Peles from Israel talked about the Anarchists Against the Wall organisation. This unites Israelis and Palestinians fighting against the Israeli government’s building of an apartheid wall running along the length of the country. About 40 attended the meeting. In Dublin the WSM’s Jack White branch in Cabra/ Stoneybatter organised a party, which raised €450 for AATW.

If you would like to know about WSM events in your area, subscribe to the Ainriail email list (ainriail-request@ struggle.ws), or send us your mobile number and we’ll text you.Workers Solidarity is distributed at events and door-to-door in parts of Belfast, Bray, Cork, Derry, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Maynooth, Portstewart. Sligo, and Wexford. If you can take 20 (or more) and give them to friends or pop them through neighbours’ letterboxes, send us your name, address and how many copies to send. If we want anarchism to become the most popular idea for making the world a better place, we have to let people know about it. Joining the growing number of readers who also distribute this paper is a good start.

This article is from Workers Solidarity 101 published Jan/Feb 2008

Draft PDF of WS101 - articles will differ from proofread version