Grassroots march Saturday: now meet GPO at 6

national | summit mobilisations | press release Friday April 30, 2004 19:48 by Laurence Cox - Dublin Grassroots Network lcox at iol dot ie 087-9851029

Saturday march not "cancelled"

Dublin Grassroots Network's "Bring the Noise" march to Farmleigh has not been "cancelled". It has been moved to the GPO, still at 6 on Saturday, and will start as an open-air public meeting for those concerned to protect the right to protest. It will be up to that meeting to decide how best to respond to unprecedented attacks on the freedom of assembly and opinion.

May Day organisers: Saturday march not "cancelled"
Banned march transferred to open-air meeting at GPO

PRESS RELEASE
Dublin Grassroots Network
Friday, April 30th

Dublin Grassroots Network reject in the strongest possible terms allegations made in recent television news that our Saturday "Bring the Noise" march has been "cancelled". The facts were made clear in this morning's press release (included below) and in this afternoon's press conference.

Similar rumours were aired after Another Europe Is Possible met with An Garda Siochana last week, and disappeared equally rapidly.

The Garda restrictions announced on Prime Time last night amount to the banning of the march for what we believe to be the first time in the history of the Republic. They involve the threat of serious violence against those who are successful in reaching the starting point announced for the march. This is an extremely serious issue. The freedoms of assembly and opinion and the right to protest are among the foundations of democratic politics and civil society.

In response to these curtailments of basic civil liberties we are moving our event from Parkgate Street to the GPO, still at 6 pm on Saturday. The difference between moving and cancelling is fairly basic.

The GPO event will start as a large-scale open-air meeting for anyone who is concerned to protect the right to demonstrate. It will be up to those who come to that meeting to decide how best to respond to this unprecedented attack on basic rights. These rights belong to all, not to a single organisation.

A copy of this morning's press release follows below.

ENDS

Dublin Grassroots Network will be holding two streetside press conferences tomorrow, one at 2 pm at the top (Stephen's Green) end of Grafton St. in advance of the No Borders morning, and one at 7.30 pm from the GPO meeting (TBC).

Spokespeople:

Laurence Cox 087-9851029
Liz Curry 086-8410666
Aileen O'Carroll 087-2820906

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This morning's press release:



Organisers condemn banning of May Day march
First time a march has been banned in independent Ireland

PRESS RELEASE
Dublin Grassroots Network
Friday, April 30th

Dublin Grassroots Network, the group organising the "Bring the Noise"
march to Farmleigh House at 6 pm on Saturday evening, has
condemned Garda measures announced yesterday evening which
amount to the banning of the march. They have called on everyone with
an interest in civil liberties to gather at the GPO instead at the same
time for a meeting to protest the ban.

Spokesperson Dr Laurence Cox said, "What we have been told is that
demonstrators will be prevented from congregating and that the riot
squad will be waiting at Parkgate Street. In other words, anyone who
turned up at the meeting point would be in serious danger. We also
understand that protestors will be prevented from marching down the
South Quays, and that those who do will be "pushed into side streets"."

The measures were announced on Prime Time last night and were not
denied by Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche. DGN spokesperson
Dr Aileen O'Carroll said, "Our plans have been the subject of media
saturation for over a month now. We have distributed 50,000 leaflets
ourselves. While we are calling an alternative event, there is no way
that we can get that information to the 5 - 10,000 people expected to
take part between now and then.

"So we are talking about a situation where there will be large numbers of
isolated people, attempting to make their way to Parkgate Street and
meeting riot police. We have been saying for some time now that the
Government, gardai and media were advertising a riot with scare stories
about the Farmleigh march. We are now very concerned that these
measures have created a riot situation."

DGN has called on everybody concerned about civil liberties to come to
a open-air meeting outside the GPO at 6 pm on Saturday to make their
voice heard.

Dr Cox also condemned the attempts to create fear by encouraging
business owners to shut down for May Day. Referring to the minutes of
a meeting held in Store Street garda station with the Assistant
Commissioner and the City Centre Businessman's Association (posted
on Indymedia) and to eyewitness accounts of shopkeepers being visited
by gardai and encouraged to board up for May Day, he said these
actions were geared towards creating a panic.

"We call on people to remain calm and not to panic. At the same time
we note that this is the first time a march has been banned in Ireland
since the Dublin Lockout in 1913. For the first time in independent
Ireland, the State has prevented a protest in the name of European
democracy. We call on all those who care about the basic freedoms of
assembly and opinion to join us at the GPO on Saturday at 6 pm to
protect the right to protest."

ENDS