March In Opposition To Garda Brutality Against Protestors

by M K Q A Sat Nov 06, 2010 21:57

Liam and co

Could I make a suggestion that someone lodges a Parliamentary Question via a TD to Dermot Ahern, regarding what 'specific law empowers gardai to strike a person on the head with a baton ?'

I heard of guidelines where they can hit on the legs, arms or shoulders, but not on the head, as a blow to the head can kill and has killed or permanently injured people in the past.

I got my own head split many years ago by a baton but did not have the where-with-all to follow it up.

I am sure in these circumstances it is disproportionate, unlawful and garda heads would roll especially with the film footage, as well as compensation being paid to the injured.

Best regards and solidarity. M.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Sun Nov 07, 2010 17:36

I reckon you're right. This has been a developing pattern in the guards for decades, and if there was political counterwill it would be less consistent.
Ahern has to outflank the trad LawnOrder stance of FG( and I think he enjoys a little knuckle as long as he's delivery man).

Pearse St is just the retail outlet. Bring it back to HQ.March to the Dail. Before there is a fatality.

by F.R Sun Nov 07, 2010 23:20

...a rotten barrell.

We've been here before.

" At the end of the day though, the Gardai exist as a force controlled by the state not primarily to protect the citizens, but rather to protect capitalist property relations and to keep the citizens in line. Reforms like an independent Ombudsman would be welcome but they obviously won't tackle the fundamental problem of capitalism"
-http://anarchism.pageabode.com/andrewnflood/rts-protest...ality

by Garda Baton Mon Nov 08, 2010 00:09

Images from garda attack on eirigi protest in May at the sid entrance to anglo irish back hq. Just meters from last wed attack on students. Look familiar?

by Denise Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:51

Fair play for organising this.

What time is the demonstration starting?

Cheers,

Denise

by DemoMan Mon Nov 08, 2010 12:20

The demo begins at 6pm. Please attend and encourage others. This kind of brute force will become common place.

by Shayne Mon Nov 08, 2010 22:04

Wewill bring whatever banners we want. I will not be told what I can or cannot bring to a protest. The cheek of that call. We have been campiagninging for years and just becasuse you are affected now you come along and tell ushow to protest. Are you having a laugh pal? See you on the day.

by C - Unaffiliated Mon Nov 08, 2010 22:25

A bit harsh there Shayne. I'm sure if anyone shows up with banners, they won't be asked to remove them, but the call for no banners is from the organisers of the protest, some of whom I know have also "been campaigning for years" around different things. If you had any respect, you'd heed their call.

by D Mon Nov 08, 2010 23:19

Shayne, many of the organisers of this demo have been to Rossport, have been on demonstrations against deaths in Garda custody, have been active on the left for years and they are not ashamed of this at all. When meetings were called to discuss the idea of moving forward with a protest, many students wished for this 'single banner' idea to be a part of the protest, something broad to the effect of 'NO POLICE BRUTALITY'. I see where you're coming from in many ways. Some argued it was a response to the line in the media that there is somewhere a line between abusing 'random' protestors and abusing lefties. It was obvious across all the papers. "not all those injured were republican or socialist nutjobs" was basically the editors line of the media in (very lightly) questioning any Garda violence on the day.

Personally, I never put the red and black flag under the bed, but I respect the wishes of the majority and think the demo is a very important one regardless.

I hope this isn't enough to keep you away. As C said, nobody is going to dictate what you can carry on the day Shayne, it's just a request from the students behind the demo.

by Ciaron - "Giueseppe Conlon House"/ London Catholic Woker Tue Nov 09, 2010 06:31

Shayne

The accusation by the state is that the large student body is being manipulated by extreme micro groups with other agendas. You'd be visually playing into the hands of the state bringing banners and mass produced placards

...wear a t-shirt or badge or carry a home made placard to announce your politics and perspecive. We all know what it is like to be visually conscripted into political groups self promotion attempts at rallies with mass produced placards, product placement banners etc.

I would suggest the organisers pass the hat....to donate to those before the courts and recovering from injury from the Garda attacks at the previous demostration.

I did this at the follow up rally to the RTS cop riot in '02 when I first landed in Dublin. The organisers refused to do it.

I still was able to raise hundreds of euro - street speaking and passing my rasta hat for defendants/casualties from the RTS '02.

If I had didn't have dreadlocks down to my butt and was better known in '02 ( a lto of people probably took one look at me and thought I was going to rush off to the pub or my non-existant drug dealer!)

.....or better still the organisers had done it and could be trusted to distribute it (what happened to all that cash from F15 '03 ?).we could have raised thousands for defendants and casualtied of RTS '02....if everyone there had thrown in a euro! There were 3,000 there at Pearse St. Garda station from memory?

by pat c Tue Nov 09, 2010 11:41

to no flags was WTF? But then, having calmed down I realised it made sense. Why allow the media to have yet another opportunity to portray this as an Eirigi or SWP organised/manipulated march? This is a special case. It is not the usual NGO no politics type nonsense.

At a 1% Network meeting recently there was a report of a complaint about to many red & black & Eirigi flags on a march. My answer to the complainant is FOAD! WSM & Eirigi put a lot of work into the demos and are entitled to have flags on them.

But this is a special case, use tactics.