EU-US summit not in ireland due to security concerns?

national | anti-capitalism | news report

Tuesday November 18, 2003 18:23

by lish

The Sunday Business Post article Nov 16th.
by Barry 0' Kelly & Sean Mac Carthaigh

Ireland is likely to lose the prestigious European Union-United States summit meeting because of fears that the gardai will be unable to cope with large numbers of anti-globalisation protestors.

Sources said that garda management had revealed that no major EU events will happen during the six month presidency because of the difficulty in policing the protests.
"we have been told there will only be ministerial meetings", an officer said.

while the two main summit meetings were to be held in Brussels rather than Dublin, the order casts doubt on other prestigious events. It means that the gathering of European leaders planned for May 1 to celebrate the arrival of ten new member states may be abandonned or slimmed down.

US political observers say Bush, who is facing an election in November next year would relish an opportunity to be photographed in Dublin, replete with rosy-cheeked Irish children waving U.S. flags, as this would endear him to some 40 million Irish-American voters.

Bur his campaign team would find less attractive images of Bush being confronted by angry anti-war protestors.

Special Branch officers said the anti-globalisation movement is planning a series of protests during the presidency with more than 30,000 activists due to descend on Ireland for any major EU heads of state meeting during the Irish presidency.

( bit about unofficial go-slow by garda escort drivers...)

The Indymedia website for Ireland reported last week on a meeting of anti-globalisation grassroots activists, which "set up some basic organisational structures to organise protests during the various EU meetings to take place in Ireland next year."