Apprentice anarchists didn't give peace a chance!!

clare | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Friday December 12, 2003 22:28

by David

political activism according to the Clare Champion

I took one look at this article and almost pissed myself laughing

The latest march on shannon Airport was supposed to be about peace, not that this mission statement meant much to one group who attempted to ambush this afternoon (wsa he talking about the cops?)writes Joe O Muircheartaigh

Cork woman Claire ****** shuffled along the protest rout from Shannon town Center- Shuffled along because she was clad in chains and the distinctive Orange garb worn by prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
The shuffling stopped when Claire reached the Barricades that closed off Shannon Airport to about 300 anti-war protestors. Behind these barricades were 35 uniformed gardai: behind them were 25 members of the riot police and behind them were the mounted police.

This was one of the biggest gardai operations ever mounted in Clare. Gardai from all Clare divisions were involved, while members from outside the county bounds were drafted in as well. The force was out in force (well done joe)

The first show of force was a check point on the road from Ennis at clarehill, Clarecastle, twelve gardai were on the road, four paddy wagons were by their side;, there was more of the same on the airport road out of limerick. And still more on the smithstown and drumgeely roundabouts, Boys in blue at every turn, Blockading roads and redirecting traffic while the eye in the sky was provided by the helicopter hovering overhead.

Claire slumped to her knees in front of the barricades and knelt there for 15 minutes. The paparazzi swarmed around this symbol, the boys around the barricades just stared straight ahead.

Claire was making her stand - a stand against American imperialism as she saw it. She was doing this peacefully, she didn't open her mouth in anger - the symbolism of chains and a simple message daubed on her back saying "end Irelands complicity" was her way.

Same as it was for John ********* - another member of the IAWM who had journeyed from cork. he wasn't in chains, all he had for company was an old style Ghettoblaster

John walked up to the Barricade and placed his Ghettoblaster on the pavement, for 20 minutes his compilation album of anthems for peace rent the air. pete seeger and woodie Guthrie came to shannon, their anti-vietnam anthems given a new context.

Where have all the flowers gone? was one of petes songs, another was "we shall overcome" those beside the barricades joined in. "deep in my heart i do believe, we shall overcome someday" they sang.

This impromptu singalong was the highlight of the afternoon. The only time when protestors seemed to be singing from any sort of hymnsheet for Shannon's latest street protest.

The rest of the day was taken up by lowlights. this was a march organised badly - there were no leaders, just a "mix em gather em" rabble coming under the same big umbrella of peace and anti-war.

Not that the rabble was wholly given over to peacefull methods. The lines between peace and conflict became blurred when a group of children - they can only be described as apprentice anarchists - attempted to steal the show.

The Apprentice anarchists - they called themselves the Grassroots Network Against War - didn't want a peaceful protest.

They were dressed in Black and had their faces covered - presumably so they wouldn't be recognised by their parents if they were caught on camera. Hence the move by one apprentise anarchist to attack one photographer from the press association agency who had his lens too close for comfort.

Straying from the path of peace did not end there, on the march towards the airport the apprentice anarchists made a break for the perimeter fense of the shannon free zone. The gardai and the Riot police gave chase and the threatened security breach was headed off.

Then as the peaceful protesters dispersed, the boys and girls in black camped down and the Drumgeely roundabout. they waved their black flags - their show of 'black power' not that they'd know the meaning of the term - mouthed off about media conspiracies and blocked a number of passing cars.

Scuffles broke out, truth is it was mere handbag stuff really - followed by more mouthing off as Gardai kept a watching Brief, and as the darkness closed in it looked as though the gardai might become night watchmen.

However, the "cause" didn't mean that much to these apprentise anarchists, they soon moved off - they probably had to be home indoors and accounted for by the curfew set by their parents.

Still the apprentice anarchists probably went home with smiles on their faces, if one could see their faces behind those black scarves, they had brought the full might of Clare gardai out on the streets.

Worse still, they had won the tacit approval of those people who have been the frontline of the antiwar movement for the past year. While the apprentice anarchists were amusing themselves with their own juvenile behaviour, genuine peace activists like Tim H and Ed H were standing By. By being there they were party and part of what were nothing more than childish pranks.

They did their cause of peace no good - the cause of Pete seeger and Woodie Guthrie songs and young Claire ****** kneeling in front of the barricades. these peaceful actions should have spoken much louder than the apprentice anarchists who stole the show.