May 2009

International Anarchist Mayday statement

Date:

Today as in the past, May Day means respect for mobilizations throughout the world by workers who suffer, at times even paying with their lives, for the sake of their struggles to improve the condition of men and women who labour under the control of capitalism.

G20 police violence- traditional policing by consent

Date:

The recent G20 summit in London brought into sharp focus the level of police violence and intimidation in our society.

Belfast discussion: Can Direct Action achieve change?

Date:

Public meeting:

The Visteon workers have shown that we are far from powerless in resisting job and pay cuts. The discussion will focus on the Visteon/Ford workplace occupations, solidarity and the politics of direct action.

Dublin: Stop The Bank Bailout Protest

Date:

Saturday 16th May
2:30p.m.
Central Bank, Dame Street

Erris: Community in Struggle against Shell - 2009

Date:

What has happened in Erris over the past two weeks is unprecedented in the harassment by security forces (both private and state) and the fight back by the community is astounding and inspirational. Sean Mallory having spent time in mayo recently outlines the main events over the past two weeks.

A day of Action has been called by Mayo Shell to Sea. The community after putting up fierce resistance to Shell's attempts to restart work are now asking you to join them in a day of protest. The protest assembles Glengad 18-00hrs on Saturday May 9th for more information see (http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92183)

Former Visteon worker to speak in West Belfast

Date:

Press release

Struggle against Shell in Erris erupts once more as Solitaire arrives - 2009

Date:

The long running struggle in Erris (Rossport) against Shell's attempt to impose an experimental gas pipeline on the local community has once more errupted in recent days with the arrival of the Solitaire to attempt to bring the pipeline to shore. In his article Erris: Community in Struggle against Shell WSM member Sean Mallory details the latest events following the resumption of construction. Here we provide background articles on the struggle and a focus on the events of last Summer and Autumn which culminated in Shell having to halt construction over winter.

Belfast May Day - anarchists in the sunshine

Date:

Thirty or so anarchists marched with the WSM and/or Organise! at the Belfast May day march this year. Initially the rally was addressed by trade unionists including John Maguire, Visteon union convenor.

Alan from the WSM described it as "A lovely sunny day with a good anarchist turnout." and reported that "several people I spoke to afterwards thought a minimum of 2,000 people were on the march, the majority of these from the unions with maybe 20% from different left groups"

May Day marchers attacked in Iran

Date:

At the May Day rally in Laleh Park, Tehran, May 1st, 2009 more than 150 workers and their families as well as activists of women’s and students’ movements were arrested.

Four days after the May Day police crackdown, about 130 women and men are still incarcerated. They are detained in unacceptable conditions in section 204 of Tehran’s Evin Prison.

WSM conference report early 2009

Date:

April saw Workers Solidarity Movement members from around the country meet for their twice-yearly conference. As the WSM has a much fuller concept of democracy, it organises itself quite differently to the way Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein, the DUP or Labour do. The conference is open to every member and every member can put a motion for consideration. Decisions are made by majority vote. As well as setting out policy, the conference also elects officers and discusses how to put our policies into action in our day-to-day political activity.

Swords: Public Meeting on the capitalist crisis and anarchism

Date:

They got us into this mess but now they want us to pay the price for it too! With the economic crisis now in full swing, anarchists are arguing for fundamental change and an end to capitalism. How can we achieve this and how should the new society be organised?

Thursday May 14th 8pm
Hawthorn Hotel,
Main Street,
Swords.

Dublin: "Queer Politics: Mainstream or Revolutionary?"

Date:

The contemporary Euro-American LGBT movement emerged out of the gay and lesbian liberation struggles associated with the radical politics of the 1960s, which in turn were inspired by mass revolutionary movements prominent at the turn of the twentieth century. Yet today the majority of men and women active in LGBT politics seek not revolutionary social change but inclusion within the boundaries of mainstream liberal culture. They tend to organise as a single-issue interest group seeking legislative reforms (for example, amendments to marriage laws), and unlike their forebears pose no radical challenges to either capitalism or the state.

Dublin May Day March 2009

Date:

WSM will be taking part in the 2009 Dublin 'Mayday' march this Saturday at 2pm organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions. Come along and celebrate with us.

Irlande : Rébellion massive contre l’ultralibéralisme

Date:

Manifs monstres et syndicats pas forcément loyaux envers les salarié-e-s, la crise en Irlande nous donne peut être un petit avant-goût de ce qui nous attend en France. Les communistes libertaires sont en pointe dans la lutte.

Tralee: Anarchist Stall

Date:

Members of the Cork branch of the Workers Solidarity Movement will be
travelling to Tralee this coming Saturday to do a stall. With the latest
issue of our newspaper, our bookservice and magazines we hope to make a
splash!

Workers Solidarity 109

Date:

May - June 2009 Edition of the Workers Solidarity freesheet.

The politics of direct action and the struggle of the Visteon workers

Date:

On Saturday 9th May, the Belfast branch of the WSM held a public meeting at An Culturlann in West Belfast on ‘Can Direct Action achieve success’.

Contributions from former Visteon workers, Dessie McEnroe and Mark O’Hara on their participation in the occupation, building links with fellow workers and lessons learnt.

Here is a short report and audio recording from the discussion.

Food Fight- Dublin-

Date:

A presentation by Miriam Turley ( Eglantine Community Garden , Belfast ), & Seoidin O'Sullivan (The South Circular Road Food Garden Project, Dublin ).

Blockade at Mountjoy jail as Shell to Sea protester jailed

Date:

The long running struggle in Erris (Rossport) against Shell's attempt to impose an experimental gas pipeline on the local community has erupted in recent days with repeated local direct actions against the compound Shell are trying to construct. Meanwhile the state at the behest of Shell continues to press vindictive prosecutions against local activists. Back in March retired school teacher Maura Harrington for jailed for 30 days, today the state returned for another pound of flesh and she was sentenced to another 7-10 days in Mountjoy prison. At very short notice over 20 activists from Dublin Shell to Sea gathered at the prison gates and showed their outrage by blocking the entrance of the prison van containing Maura in to Mountjoy for about twenty minutes.

Grassroots Unite Reclaim The Unions Conference

Date:

Conference being called by group of trade union activists