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AMBUSH2004! Campaign initiated at Galway meet
 national |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Monday April 05, 2004 21:58 by Maratist - Galway Grassroots
Getting ready for welcoming Bush
Anti-war activists from across the country met in Galway last Saturday to lay the foundations for a broad-based campaign to counter the visit of George W. Bush to Ireland next June. AMBUSH2004! Campaign initiated at Galway meet
Anti-war activists from across the country met in Galway last Saturday to lay the foundations for a broad-based campaign to counter the visit of George W. Bush to Ireland next June.
Representatives from the Galway Grassroots group, Mid-West Alliance Against Militarism and Aggression, Geeks Against War and the Cork Grassroots Group agreed to use the Bush visit as an opportunity to mount effective resistance against Irish complicity in U.S. military adventures. For those involved in AMBUSH2004, it seems fitting that George W. Bush’s entry to our island will be via Shannon Airport, the very venue of the Irish Government’s jettisoning of neutrality to serve the interests of the profit-hungry U.S. ruling elite.
The first part of the meeting was taken up with a lengthy informal intelligence report.
It was asserted that Air Force One would most likely touch down at Shannon Airport around midnight on Friday 25th of June, from where George Bush would at some point be ferried by helicopter to the summit venue, felt in all likelihood to be Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare (it was reported on reliable information that U.S. Secret Service agents had been sighted reconnoitring that venue earlier in the week). It was pointed out that Bush’s visit would likely be a very brief affair, probably in the region of 14 hours, and that he would be getting ferried back to Shannon Airport on Saturday afternoon after attending the summit of E.U. leaders, probably scheduled to leave the Airport at around 2pm. Dromoland Castle being around 8 miles from Shannon.
The meeting agreed to put forward a number of general strategic goals which we wish to see as the focus of opposition to the Bush visit.
Firstly in that we aim to mobilise the maximum number of participants for peace actions during the time of the visit.
That we need to go to the general Shannon area, on both the Friday, June 25th, and the Saturday, June 26th, while Bush is there.
Thirdly that we aim to have some form of peace camp or protest village, a variety of different forms this could take are being explored.
Fourthly that this being an EU-US Summit, happening adjacent to the airport in Europe where one quarter of US troops in Iraq have been transited through, we would hope to internationalise the protests, and plan to contact groups in Europe with this aim in mind.
Finally that we would see the main goal being to keep the focus on the military uses of Shannon airport, and that accordingly the main emphasis of the protests should be on the airport rather than Dromoland castle, but this is not to rule out a lesser focus on the summit site itself.
A number of practical proposals in regard to publicity, finance and international outreach are being actioned. There is to be a further meeting in Galway on Sunday April 18th.
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Comments (13 of 13)
Jump To Comment: 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1What in God's name is a troll, and why do people use the term so often. It seems to me that people on this site call anyone who doesn't agree with them a mythical monster who lives under a bridge:)
the anti-AMBUSH comment contributors above are either:
a) some of the worst examples of that stupid breed of people who think of themselves as right-on, but don't do anything and consequently have no idea of what's involved in trying to organise stuff or get initiatives off the ground, finding it easier to pour scorn on those people who do make the effort..
or
b) trolls who want to drive wedges between different elements of the peace movement, and prevent anything of consequence emerging from it, as pointed to by chekov..
every effort was made by those involved in organising the Galway meeting to get people on board from across the spectrum of genuine anti-war activism in this country.
every effort was made to promote the initiative at the inaugural AWI meeting in Limerick, and to make it clear that everybody involved envisaged that whatever came out of the Galway meeting would work in tandem and in the best possible faith with AWI activity during the Bush visit, if not as part of the same drive.
let's remember that AWI will not even be formalised as a structured entity until, what, the middle of next month? I certainly wish the AWI effort well, and hope to get involved myself, but along with other people within and without AMBUSH I personally think that NOW is the time to start getting organised for the Bush visit, NOT in a month or two months' time.
this meeting was announced on indymedia (twice), on all the anti-war lists we could find,
at a meeting of anti-war heads in Dublin, at the AWI launch in Limerick,
and by plugging it to everyone we could.
Don't know how anybody can claim we're not trying to be open.
Stupid fuckin trolls
I wasn't lonely - ye made me feel very welcome!
Shit forgot to mention people there from Dublin Grassroots also (the lonely non-anarchist wing incidentally)
Totally true Chekov, totally true.
These sniping comments are very likely to come from people who do not want any new anti-war coalition to succeed. They seem to be trying to drive a wedge between the direct action end of the movement and others. Now where have we seen that before?
It is especially strange to be criticising people for trying to get organising off the ground for Shannon already. Sure if it's not broad enough (and I don't know how broad it is), so what? It hardly prevents broader groups from meeting to plan their own thing. The more groups, or whatever broadness, that get organising to greet bush, the better.
I'd advise everybody to take any anonymous comment that pushes this line with a huge pinch of salt. There are powerful people who really do not want this initiative to succeed.
This is the first I have heard of this initative but I don't understand the comments above? Whats the problem with initatives being taken apart from whatever is also happening through IAW. They all seem to be taking place in the Shannon area so would obviously add to rather that take from whatever IAW is going there. Or are these comments just shit stirring from another source?
I thought this was going to be broad? where are all the others? How many were at the meeting? Are we really going anywhere with this?
I think the above comments echo a fear of many that this will be an undemocratic organistaion by a new name.
So how many were at the meeting and how many community groups, etc were present?
Great, see you all in Shannon.
So much better to bring the focus to Shannon rather than Dublin or whatever expensive hotel Bush is staying at.
Hope all groups and individuals - no matter where they find themselves on the political compass - will join in!
Its allready clear the protests are going to be a shambles and the event will be a triumph for President Bush.
I see that those who held this mtng are talking about a broad-based campaign but all I see involved here are the Grassroots groups (i.e. anarchists) and you're joking if you think this coalition will attract people from the wider antiwar movement.
Don't see the point in this. Wasn't AWI supposed to bring everybody together? Now its hardly begun and youre off doing your own half-arsed thing already.
Unhelpful to say the least.
Just curious, but where does this leave the Anti-War Ireland demo planned for Shannon airport on the Friday night as Bush arrives? Some of the groups listed here are supposed to be involved in building for that. Are you people organising something completely differently now or what?
Are you incapable with working with other people on any level? What's going on here? Is there some special reason that the grassroots has to do something separate?
What are you planning that will differ from what groups in Anti-War Ireland are doing?