From the Newswire: Twenty-five year-old Caoimhe Butterly is used to attracting media attention. On November 27th 2002 the Guardian newspaper ran an in-depth interview with the human rights activist who had just suffered a gun shot wound from the hands of Israeli soldiers while out protesting in the streets of Jenin. That year also saw her profiled in TIME Europe magazine as a true 21st century hero. Butterly however finds the coverage embarrassing, and can’t help recoiling when reminded. “It was such a badly written article,” she cringed when questioned about The Guardian piece.

Butterly nevertheless welcomes the media interest, not for her personally, but for the causes she supports so wholeheartedly. As Indymedia first reported last Thursday, she has been camped outside the offices of Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH), undergoing a 14-day hunger strike. The hunger strike has been initiated in an attempt to focus attention on direct Irish complicity in the construction of the Apartheid Wall, which violates International Law and contributes to grave human rights violations of the Palestinian people. C.R.H. own a 25% stake in the Mashav Group, an Israeli holding company for Nesher Cement, which is the sole provider of cement in Israel.

Ammnesty International recently stated that “C.R.H., through it’s subsidiaries Mashav and Nesher is likely to be providing the raw material of the fence/wall..if so, it would contravene the U.N. norms on the responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights(2003).”

As ordinary people have been busying their minds with the elections/referendum, Butterly has helped place the ongoing suffering in Palestine back to the forefront of people’s consciences.

Original Report (with pictures) of the start of her fast
Latest Update (from redjade)
After 14 days Caoimhe ends fast

Other Links:

• Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign
• Amnesty Urges CRH to Explain Its Role on Israeli Wall 19^th Feb 2004
• IPSC Demands CRH Answer Questions on Apartheid Wall - May 23^rd, 2004
• Vincent Browne's piece in the Business Post on CRH's interesting dealings

NRA: "The M3 will only impact 2 sites." WAG: "That's funny - I count 28."

From The Newswire: The Anger Strike protest, called by Save Tara Skryne Valley Group, against the National Monuments Bill will continue Thursday morning, at 9.30 am at the Kildare Street entrance to the Dail.

The goal of the campaign is to rally support from the Opposition and Fianna Fail backbenchers, in order to vote down the National Monuments Bill, and formation of a new Governmewnt that will protect Ireland's national heritage at the Hill of Tara, as well as Carrickmines and Waterford.

This morning (Wed 16th June) Trevor Sargent TD (Greens), Eamon Gilmore TD (Labour), and Mary Lou McDonald MEP (Sinn Fein), as well as newly elected Meath County Councillor, Philip Cantwell (Ind) were among politicians who joined the Anger Strike.

A group of approximately 30 campaigners are calling on members of all parties to oppose the bill, to save Ireland's heritage, and to bring down this Government for once and for all. They are hoping that if the Government loses on this Bill, that a general election will have to be called.

Continue at this link for the Full Feature including the reasons why the Save Tara Skryne Valley Group are so angry about the National Monuments Bill.

Previous Indymedia Feature : "Tara Don't Want No Carrickmines"

A quote from Ulysses - more than 3 lines!!@!!

--People do not know how dangerous lovesongs can be, the auric egg of Russell warned occultly. The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant's heart on the hillside. For them the earth is not an exploitable ground but the living mother. The rarefied air of the academy and the arena produce the sixshilling novel, the musichall song. France produces the finest flower of corruption in Mallarme but the desirable life is revealed only to the poor of heart, the life of Homer's Phaeacians.

From these words Mr Best turned an unoffending face to Stephen.

As Dublin celebrates Bloomsday, it turns out that any reading or publication of more than 3 lines of Ulysses is protected by copyright. Policing this is made more difficult by the brief period that the work was out of copyright in the 1990's before the extension of copyright period for 70 years after artists death. The Irish Dail had to pass a special law to enable it to mount an exhibition of Joycean manuscripts, there are stories doing the rounds of copyright lawyers scouring the city for people quoting more than 3 lines from Ulysses and the Joyce breakfast had to take place with no readings from Joyce.

You can still read Ulysses thanks to the internet – but no quoting, at least not in Ireland, on Bloomsday
Read Ulysses here
The Project Gutenburg site where you can download the text

"We must all appear before the judgment that each may be repaid for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" intones Poet.

So the left are in power in Dublin? Any chance of a free train to Limerick on the 25th for your 'Obedient Citizens' ?

Election Posters Bothering You?
Bye Bye Agressive Rats?
CWI statement on Socialist Party Election
Left Wing Election Races - Being the Tallyman
Fingal CoCo Results

'Street Art' Photo-Essay continues at this link