[Onthebarricades] Peace protests, November 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* IRAN: Protest marks embassy takeover anniversary
* SYRIA: Thousands protest US raid
* TRIPURA - INDIA: Children protest warfare through paintings
* CZECH REP: US radar base protested
* RUSSIA: Proetsters with pumpkins oppose American "plots"
* MOLDOVA: Russian military presence protested
* US - Georgia - Annual School of the Americas protest
* UK: New Afghanistan war protest
* US: Oregon - Soldier joins war protest; hunger striker arrested
* US: Vermont - Protest for peace economy
* UK: Protests against troop homecoming celebration
* UK: Anti-nuclear protest at Aldermaston
* AUSTRALIA: Noisy protest at war event
* SCOTLAND - UK: Protests over football militarism






http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/03/content_10301376.htm

Iranians hold demonstrations to mark U.S. embassy takeover

TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Iranians held demonstrations on 
Monday to mark the 29th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy 
in Tehran by Iranian students.
The demonstrators, including schoolchildren and university students, 
gathered outside the former U.S. embassy in central Tehran, shouting 
anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans.
Monday marks 13 of Aban (the eighth month) in the Iranian calendar. On 
13 of Aban in the Iranian year of 1358 (Nov. 4, 1979), the U.S. embassy 
was stormed by Iranian students and its personnel were held hostage for 
444 days.
The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980 over 
the embassy takeover and their ties have remained severed ever since.
"The first fruit of the seizure of the 'Den of Spies' was to clarify the 
Islamic regime's anti-arrogance stance in the world," Iranian Deputy 
Parliament Speaker Seied Mohammad Hassan Abutorabifard told the rally, 
referring to the former U.S. embassy.
"The second achievement of this event was to pave the path for other 
muslim nations to preserve their identity and dignity," Abutorabifard 
said in front of cheering crowds.
Referring to the United States implicitly, he said that "downgrading the 
global arrogance's pretence to greatness was another achievement of the 
seizure of the 'Den of Spies.'"
Iran holds rallies and meetings every year to mark the day for three 
significance in Iranian history: Takeover of the former U.S. embassy in 
Tehran by university students in 1979; Declaration of the day as the 
"Students' Day" in remembrance of several students killed in 1978 while 
taking part in protest rally against the former Shah; Sending to exile 
of the late Imam Khomeini in 1963.

Editor: Zheng E







http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=659670&rss=yes

Iranians protest at old US embassy
19:17 AEST Mon Nov 3 2008

Thousands of young Iranians have rallied outside the former US embassy 
in Tehran to mark the 29th anniversary of the seizure of the building by 
Islamic radicals after the revolution.
The demonstrators, mainly schoolchildren and students, brandished 
banners proclaiming "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and carried 
Uncle Sam effigies that were to be torched later.
"We will not get on with America even for a moment," read one placard 
carried by demonstrators standing in the rain outside what is dubbed the 
"Den of Spies" in central Tehran.
Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations for nearly 
three decades since students took US diplomats at the mission hostage 
for 444 days following the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the 
US-backed shah.
Monday's demonstration came ahead of the US presidential election 
between Republican John McCain and Democrat front-runner Barack Obama, 
who many Iranians think might aid a thaw between the arch foes.





http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/10/20081030101832817729.html

October 30, 2008
15:07 Mecca time, 12:07 GMT

Syrians march in protest at US raid

Demonstrators denounced the US raid as a "criminal act" and "terrorism" 
[AFP]

Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets of the capital Damascus 
to protest against a US raid which killed eight people near the border 
with Iraq.
Riot police were deployed outside the US embassy as the demonstrators, 
mostly civil servants and students, gathered for the government-backed 
protest a few kilometres away.
The embassy, which was pelted with stones during a protest against 
US-led air raids on Iraq in 1998, was closed on Thursday due to security 
concerns.
But the situation remained peaceful as the protesters filled the Youssef 
al-Azmi square and surrounding streets in the al-Maliki neighbourhood, 
with some Syrians forming circles and performing traditional dances.

Some demonstrators carried banners denouncing the United States, as well 
as national flags and pictures of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
"America the sponsor of destruction and wars," one of the banners read.

'Civilians killed'
Damascus says that eight civilians, including a number of children, were 
killed when US troops in helicopters crossed into eastern Syria last Sunday.
The US state department and the Pentagon have both officially refused to 
comment on the incident in Abu Kamal, but a US official has told news 
agencies that the operation targeted an Iraqi national who was smuggling 
arms and fighters across the border.


Damascus says eight civilians died in the US raid in Abu Kamal [AFP]
Hussam Baayoun, a 20-year-old university student at the rally, said the 
US raid was a "criminal act".
"We want the Americans to stop their acts of terrorism in Syria, in Iraq 
and the rest of the world," he said.
Syria has demanded a formal apology for the raid and has threatened to 
cut off co-operation over border security if there is any repeat of the 
incident.
"This aggression did not succeed," Mohsen Bilal, Syria's information 
minister, said.

"It was supposed to yield a catch so that they could show it to the 
world ... But the catch turned out to be an innocent family."
In response to the attack, Damascus has ordered the closure by November 
6 of a US school and an American cultural centre in the capital.
The United States has repeatedly accused Syria of not doing enough to 
stop the trafficking of weapons and anti-government fighters into Iraq, 
but Damascus says it is doing all it can to secure the porous border.








http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-40028.html

Tripura's young protest against militancy through their paintings
By Pinaki Das, Agartala, Nov.3 : Young children in Tripura capital 
Agartala have adopted a unique way of protesting against militancy, 
especially the bomb blasts - through a painting exhibition.
The children, aged between 10 and 15 years, see their imaginative 
creations as an effective way to challenge the subversive activities of 
the militants and send out a message of peace and unity among the people.

While one painter said that without peace there could no development, 
another said people should unite against the evil and work for development.

All painters said they did not support militancy, as it was a malaise 
that has left the northeast bleeding for decades.

The organizers described the painting exhibition as a new concept in the 
state.

The three-day exhibition attracted a sizeable crowd and most visitors 
said events such as this should be held more frequently.

Joydeep Bhattacharjee, a visitor, said: "See each and every picture 
depicts society. Maybe it is in the painters' sub-conscious. It is true 
also in the case of children. They produce them in their way. They draw 
what they see or what we make them see. Here, there are different types 
of pictures with vivid bright colours. One thing that I have noticed is 
that the children have brought out the region in their own way, without 
thinking. These pictures have spontaneity. Three is nothing what has 
been pressed upon them and so the pictures are lively, even the elderly 
people have lot to learn from them. I have enjoyed the exhibition and 
hope in the future more such takes place."
--- ANI





http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6535891.html

Czechs rally in Prague to protest U.S. radar base

15:17, November 18, 2008

Nearly 1,000 people rallied in Prague Monday to protest U.S. plans to 
build a missile defense radar base in the Czech Republic.

Holding banners and posts reading "No U.S. base needed here" and "76 
percent citizens against radar base," the demonstrators chanted slogans 
like "referendum, referendum" during the day-long protest.

A demonstrator told Xinhua that there should be no more foreign troops 
in the Eastern European country. The man also believed the U.S. radar 
base will be aimed at Russia, not Iran or the Democratic People's 
Republic of Korea.

The United States on July 9 signed a treaty with the Czech Republic on 
construction of a missile defense radar base, which would mean the 
stationing of foreign troops in the country for the first time since the 
1968 Soviet invasion.

The march was organized by the No to Bases group which was established 
in 2006. Along with over 40 other groups, it has organized many rallies 
across the country in protest of the establishment of the U.S. radar base.

Source:Xinhua






http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/world/europe/03moscow.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Russians With Pumpkins Protest Many U.S. Plots

Sergey Ponomarev/Associated Press
Police officers stood guard on Sunday in front of the United States 
Embassy in Moscow as thousands of demonstrators from the pro-Kremlin 
youth group Nashi protested against the United States and the war in 
Georgia. The protesters, in their teens and early 20s, carried 
jack-o’-lanterns with the names of war victims.
By ELLEN BARRY
Published: November 2, 2008
MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians from the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi 
gathered in front of the United States Embassy here on Sunday night 
carrying jack-o’-lanterns inked with the names of war victims and 
charging that the war in Georgia was part of an American plot to improve 
Senator John McCain’s electoral prospects.
As music by Johnny Cash and the Allman Brothers played from 
loudspeakers, a stream of young people climbed off buses that had 
carried them to Moscow from far-flung provincial capitals. They held the 
pumpkins aloft for a moment of silence as a deep bass thumped and 
carnival-style lights played on the embassy’s facade.
In a film projected on several large screens, an actor playing President 
Bush (though with a heavy Russian accent) delivered a speech in which he 
gloated over the United States’ control over world affairs. The film 
asserted that the United States orchestrated World Wars I and II so that 
the American economy could overtake Europe’s, carried out the Sept. 11 
attacks to broaden government powers and planned to brand every person 
on the planet with the “mark of the beast,” as referred to in the Bible.
“When that will happen, we will totally control all humanity,” said the 
actor playing Mr. Bush, swigging a beer, as a picture of the globe in 
chains glowed behind him.
The opinions in the crowd were far more nuanced. Most of the 
demonstrators, men and women in their teens and early 20s, said they 
held the United States responsible for the war in Georgia, saying 
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia would not have attacked the 
separatist enclave of South Ossetia without express permission from 
American officials.
Several demonstrators said they had become disillusioned with the United 
States during the 1990s, saying the reforms it pushed had led Russia 
into financial and political chaos.
“We don’t like to be told how to live, and we don’t like it when our 
peacekeepers are attacked,” said Yura Yakor, 23. “You’re not likely to 
find any fans of America here.”
As they shivered in the wintry rain, nearly everyone had something to 
say about the coming United States elections. Many agreed with the 
theory, espoused by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin in a televised 
interview this fall, that the war in Georgia was planned to increase the 
chances of Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate. A few said 
they thought a victory for Senator Barack Obama would greatly improve 
relations between the United States and Russia.
“If McCain wins, I think everything will get worse,” said Yekaterina 
Anisimova, 20, who had traveled from Vladimir, about 125 miles east of 
Moscow, for the rally. “He is categorically against Russia. Obama is the 
opposite. All this could end.”
Her friend, Yana Vinogradova, agreed.
“We don’t hate America,” she said. “We just have a bad relationship with 
this administration.”
As the American reporter departed, Ms. Anisimova yelled after her, “Vote 
for Obama!”





http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27504200/

Moscow youth protest U.S. — with pumpkins
Some hold lit jack-o'-lanterns with names of South Ossetians

Russian police officers stand guard on a street during an anti-American 
protest near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Sunday.
Sergey Ponomarev / AP

U.K. reality star dies
March 23: After a very public battle with cervical cancer, British 
reality TV star Jade Goody died over the weekend. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk 
reports from London.

updated 4:32 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2008
MOSCOW - About 15,000 members of a pro-Kremlin youth group have staged 
an anti-American protest near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Some held lit jack-o'-lanterns for what they called the Helloween 
American Show, with Halloween intentionally misspelled.
On each pumpkin was written the name of someone who supposedly died as a 
result of conflicts allegedly unleashed by the U.S. Some of the names 
appeared to be those of South Ossetians.
The breakaway region of South Ossetia was at the heart of the August war 
between Russia and Georgia, a U.S. ally.
Mikhail Potyomkin says he joined Sunday evening's protest to show his 
opposition to the actions of the U.S., which he says "cause a 
significant number of deaths of innocent people."






http://politicom.moldova.org/news/political-party-will-again-protest-against-russian-military-presence-in-moldova-163810-eng.html

Political party will again protest against Russian military presence in 
Moldova
November 10, 2008
Subscribe to: RSS, Email
The Liberal Party will protest against the Russian military presence on 
Moldova’s territory on November 13, when the Summit of CIS Prime 
Ministers will open in Chisinau. Russia’s Premier Vladimir Putin will 
also attend the event.

In a communiqué, PL says that the party demanded and demands that the 
Russian army be pulled out from Moldova in accordance with the 
international commitments that Russia made at the OSCE Istanbul Summit 
of 1999, when it was accepted as a member of the Council of Europe 
Parliamentary Assembly.

”We consider that the Russian military presence on the left bank of the 
Dniester and Russia’s support for the secessionist Transdniestrian 
regime represent the major obstacles that hinder Moldova’s admission to 
the EU,” the communiqué says.

In this connection, the Liberals call on all the political parties and 
representatives of the civil society that have similar stances to take 
part in the protest and demand that Russia withdraw the army and tanks 
from Moldova.

The protest will be held at the intersection of Maria Cibotari and 
Bucharest streets, starting at start at 9.00.
REPORER.MD






http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/georgia/news-article.aspx?storyid=124589&provider=rss

Protesters Call for Closing of Georgia Military School
Posted By: Brian Bendetti Created: 11/23/2008 7:37:01 PM Updated: 
11/23/2008 9:37:09 PM

COLUMBUS, GA (AP) -- Demonstrators renewed their call Sunday to shutter 
a school on a Georgia Army base for Latin American military and 
government officials and say they're optimistic the new president or a 
more sympathetic Congress will act within the next year.
School of Americas Watch protests each November outside Fort Benning to 
mark the 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her 
daughter in El Salvador. A United Nations panel concluded that some of 
the killers had attended the School of Americas, now known as the 
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest who has been leading the 
demonstrations since 1990, said his supporters view President-elect 
Barack Obama as the ''president who stands for peace.''
''Our movement has worked hard to get him into the White House,'' 
Bourgeois said. ''We think it is very reasonable to have a meeting with 
President Obama.''
Protesters also blame the school for human rights abuses in Latin America.
Obama could close the school by executive order or Congress could deny 
funding, a proposal that was narrowly defeated earlier this year, 
Bourgeois said.
''There is a good possibility we'll shut the school,'' Bourgeois said. 
''If we do, we're going to gather here next year for a fiesta.''
Bourgeois has also taken on another cause. He has been threatened with 
excommunication by the Vatican for supporting the ordination of women as 
priests. But as of Sunday, he was still a man of the cloth, he said.
''I'm waiting to hear from Rome,'' he said.
Fort Benning officials had no comment other than to say they worked with 
local officials to ensure a safe, peaceful gathering.
The protesters, many of them students from as far away as Minnesota and 
Washington state, listened to music, speeches and marched in a funeral 
procession. Some, dressed in black robes, carried mock coffins while the 
majority lifted white crosses as the names of alleged victims of human 
rights abuses were read.
They cheered an announcement that the crowd had grown to 20,000. But 
Capt. Mike Massey of the Muscogee County Sheriff's Department said 
deputies had counted about 8,500 entering the area in the morning. Most 
years, the group and local officials differ on crowd estimates.
Eric LeCompte, an SOA Watch organizer, said six protesters crossed a 
line on the military base and were arrested.
Juanita Sherba of Canfield, Ohio, has been attending the demonstrations 
for 12 years.
''We believe that Obama's words are true,'' she said. ''He seems to be a 
man of conscience and I think he's going to look into the way our 
government does business and truly make it a democracy again.'






http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=825&Itemid=144

Protest against Afghanistan war this Thursday 20 November
Written by Stewart office
Monday, 17 November 2008
Thursday 20 November marks 7 years since the so called liberation of 
Afghanistan by the US and its allies. In that time thousands of innocent 
Afghan civilians have been killed and many more wounded, as the security 
situation goes from bad to worse. Stop the War groups across the country 
will be protesting on that day to say that troops should be brought home 
from Afghanistan. If you would like to organise a protest in your area 
contact us today.





http://salem-news.com/articles/november162008/caqpitol_vigil_11-16-08.php

Nov-16-2008 13:16
Oregon Guard Soldier Joins Capitol War Protest (VIDEO)
Tim King Salem-News.com
An Oregon Guard soldier joins the 24-hour vigil protesting a deployment 
to Iraq in 2009.

Photo and video by Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - An Oregon woman protesting a national guard deployment 
to the Iraq War was arrested Friday night by Oregon state troopers. 
Political activist Michele Darr of Corvallis is no stranger to capitol 
demonstrations; she spent months outside the capitol in protest of the 
Iraq War in 2003.
Advocates taking part in the vigil and fast say Michele Darr's Civil 
Rights were violated when she was arrested, and Saturday the list of 
advocates on the capitol steps grew to include an Oregon soldier who is 
part of the scheduled deployment.
"They showed us their building policy that indicates that between the 
hours of 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, the building is closed to the public," 
Darr said.
But an assembling group of attorneys like former Salem Mayor Mike Swaim 
and Elizabeth Baker, say the state law flies in the face of civil rights 
granted by federal law.
News of the arrest prompted Richard Portelli, a soldier in the Oregon 
Guard, to join Darr's cause.
"Everything I've heard from other soldiers who have been over there is 
that it's a really terrible thing, and they have stretches of road they 
patrol where there are bombs, and they are patrolling them because there 
are bombs there and the bombs are there because we're patrolling them; 
it all seems very weird to me." Portelli said.
Attorneys say the state law that allow police to arrest Darr conflicts 
with federal laws that grant the public, rights to access public property.
Darr believes the Governor could take steps to keep the soldiers in 
Oregon. Legislation has also been drafted that could keep the troops 
home, but at this point Darr has been told there will be no word on that 
until January at the earliest.
"They are already preparing the early members of the deployment, and all 
of these families are waiting to find out what will happen, all of this 
just before the holiday season," Darr said.
Michele Darr's dedication to what she is doing seems immense, and she 
says Oregon's soldiers deserve better in her opiniom, than to be sent on 
another yearlong deployment to Iraq. She says people like Private 
Richard Portelli are stepping forward to join her, and she hopes 
Oregon's elected officials are listening.





http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/11/16/news/community/1loc10_anti.txt

Local anti-war protester arrested
By the Gazette-Times
A Corvallis woman camping on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol 
Building to protest the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to 
Iraq and Afghan-istan was arrested for trespassing Friday night by 
Oregon State Police troopers.

Michele Darr was on her 15th day at the Capitol. She said she has been 
on a hunger strike during that time because she wants Gov. Ted 
Kulongoski to refuse to send Oregon National Guard troops overseas.

Although state governors don’t have the authority over troops deployed 
overseas by the U.S. Department of the Army, Darr argued otherwise and 
insisted Kulongoski meet with her or another representative.

Troopers allegedly told her she couldn’t camp at the Capitol between 11 
p.m. and 7 a.m. Darr, 38, said many of her supporters only come to see 
her at night. “Civil rights don’t end at night,” she said.

Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings said Darr was arrested at 12:40 
a.m. She was processed and released at the Marion County Jail, where she 
received a second citation for trespassing.

“We are being told that our soldiers overseas are fighting for our 
freedoms,” Darr said, “and this is my freedom, handcuffed behind my back.”





http://salem-news.com/articles/november152008/darr-arrest-11-15-08.php

Nov-15-2008 00:47
Peaceful Protestor to be Arrested at Oregon Capitol
Salem-News.com
A former Salem Mayor and attorney says the First-Amendment rights of 
Michele Darr, who has been on a food strike for 14 days, are being violated.

Night shot of the Oregon State Capitol where Michele Darr has been 
protesting. Photo by Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Following the delivery of a letter to Governor 
Kulongoski earlier today, Michele Darr was set to be arrested at 11:30 
PM Friday. Darr has been vigiling and fasting in protest the deployment 
of the Oregon National Guard on the capitol building's steps since 
November 1st.
Despite the capitol building steps being public property, Darr has been 
issued a citation for criminal trespass. Darr and fellow citizens spoke 
to the police who they say were apologetic about the situation, but 
explained that it was "a reaffirmed administrative order".
Thursday, two-time Salem Mayor and civil rights attorney Mike Swaim 
advised Darr that this is a violation of her first amendment rights. In 
1983, US vs. Grace upheld a protestor's right to public forums, 
including state buildings.
"We are being told that our soldiers overseas are fighting for our 
freedoms," Darr explained, "and this is my freedom, handcuffed behind my 
back."
Once Darr is arrested, Came Homebound will clean up for the night. 
However, they say this arrest will not deter them from their protest and 
they will set up once again Saturday morning.
For more information on Corvallis CODEPINK, Came Homebound, and the Keep 
the Oregon National Guard Home campaign, see corvalliscodepink.org





http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_112808_news_corvallis_war_protest_fast.b4d332e.html

Corvallis woman fasts on Capitol steps in war protest
05:10 PM PST on Thursday, November 27, 2008
By AMANDA BURDEN, Kgw.com
SALEM, Ore. - Rather than spend Thanksgiving with her family, a 
Corvallis woman fasted on the steps of the State Capitol in Salem.
Michele Darr has protested here for nearly a month with no food and no 
shelter. She sleeps on a thin mat and only consumes water, vitamins and 
an occasional cup of coffee.

Mike Galimanis, KGW-TV
Michele Darr has been on a hunger fast in protest of an Oregon National 
Guard deployment.
Darr is protesting the proposed deployment of 3,500 Oregon National 
Guard to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I have close friends in the National Guard,” Darr said. “I instantly 
saw the toll it took on them to be called up again and I found that very 
sad and disheartening.”
She said sacrificing this time away from her children is nothing 
compared to the sacrifices that soldiers are required to make overseas.
“It's taken a huge, tremendous toll on the guard and their families,” 
Darr said. “We feel at the very least they're owed a justification for 
the sacrifice they're being asked to make.”
Darr’s partner, Reese Gooch, stayed by her side. Other protestors 
occasionally stop by to show support.
Darr says she plans to camp out on the steps until Gov. Ted Kulongoski 
agrees to meet with her.
Kulongoski is the commander and chief of the guard but he does not have 
authority over deployment.







http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x33036

Anti-war protesters call for peace economy (VT)

Anti-war protesters call for peace economy
November 2, 2008
By LISA RATHKE The Associated Press

MONTPELIER — Three days before the presidential election, anti-war 
activists rallied in front of the Statehouse on Saturday calling for an 
end to the war and a continued fight for change after Nov. 4 ...

About 50 demonstrators marched down State Street to the Statehouse led 
by a single drummer. They carried signs saying "Vermonters Say No to 
War," "Share the Wealth! Cut the Military Budget!" and "How Much 
Longer."Organizers urged the state to pursue what they called a peace 
economy. They insisted that the state should not give tax breaks to 
military weapons manufacturer General Dynamics of Burlington, which they 
said received $3 million in tax breaks last year.

"We don't want Vermont's taxpayer dollars going to war. We want it spent 
here to help with health care. There's over 60,000 Vermonters who don't 
have health care. That's where we need to be spending our money," said 
S'ra DeSantis of Burlington ...

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20...







http://www.independent.ie/national-news/clashes-feared-as-protests-set-for-royal-irish-parade-1517392.html?r=RSS

Clashes feared as protests set for Royal Irish parade

National News Home
Search Query: Independent.ie Web Search
By ALAN MURRAY
Sunday November 02 2008
Tension remains high in Belfast ahead of today's homecoming parade for 
the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) through the centre of the city.
Despite a climbdown by Sinn Fein over the routing of their protest, 
thousands of loyalists will flood the centre of Belfast before lunchtime 
to show their support for the 280 Royal Irish soldiers who will parade 
with other members of the British armed forces.
There are major concerns that dissident republican elements will attempt 
to disrupt the event with bomb hoaxes, and fears that loyalists and 
dissident republican supporters will clash on the way to and from the 
first major military parade of this type in Belfast since just after the 
Second World War.
The decision of Sinn Fein to redirect its protest route away from the 
Divis Flats area in the Falls Road where dissident republicans are 
planning an illegal protest has eased security worries and has been 
generally been welcomed by unionist politicians.
But there remain significant concerns that the two protests mounted in 
the Markets area near the city centre and at Divis Flats could spark a 
confrontation with loyalists travelling from east Belfast to see the 
military parade.
The decision by the British Army's General Officer Commanding (GOC) in 
Northern Ireland, Major General Chris Brown, to cancel an RAF flypast 
and announce that the homecoming RIR troops will parade without weapons 
was followed by Sinn Fein's announcement that it proposed to alter its 
route and protest at a less strategic point on the parade route.
Many loyalist paramilitaries, however, still intend to travel into the 
city to show Sinn Fein their feelings.
One north Belfast loyalist said he was going into the city for the 
parade, adding that he feared that trouble would erupt. "I'm going with 
my brother and other members of my family. I'm not going as a 
paramilitary and that's the way most guys are thinking," he said. "If 
Sinn Fein hadn't announced they were going to stage a protest, a large 
number of people on the loyalist side wouldn't be near the city centre, 
but they've basically thrown down the gauntlet and people are going just 
to defy Gerry Adams and Alex Maskey."
In east Belfast, thousands are expected to make the short journey across 
the Albert Bridge and the Queen's Bridge to see the parade. Loyalist 
sources in the area say large numbers of Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) 
and Ulster Defence Association (UDA) members are planning to go but are 
not intending to cause any trouble.
"They're going to give their support to the troops but people have been 
told to stay in the background and not to get involved in any 
confrontations," one paramilitary source said. "There are a lot of 
inter-community projects on the go and the organisations don't want to 
damage those so there is no plan to attack, riot or fight. It's just to 
say that Gerry Adams can't dictate who can walk in Belfast."
Bandsmen from all parts of the city have been told to give their support 
to the event but not to cause any trouble.
The organisers of the protests by the dissident republican support 
groups Eirigi and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement haven't applied for 
permission to take to the streets, and it is expected that there will be 
a confrontation with the PSNI when the Eirigi-organised protest at Divis 
Flats attempts to move towards the city centre.
Eirigi chairman Brian Leeson said: "We do not regard the PSNI as a 
legitimate police force and we will certainly not be asking their 
permission for our protest."
- ALAN MURRAY






http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/774/39943

Ireland: British Army ‘parade of shame’

Peadar Whelan, Belfast
8 November 2008

First came two British soldiers, decked out in desert battle dress, 
leading a pair of Irish wolfhounds.
Behind them strutted the first contingent of soldiers from the Irish 
Guards. Left right, left right, they marched with their chests puffed 
out pompously.

Next came the military band in their “Royal Irish” green dress uniforms, 
blasting out the hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers”, no doubt in an 
attempt to hide this display of naked militarism behind a religious fig 
leaf.

Not that it mattered as the strains of the hymn were all but drowned out 
by the bellicose screaming of hundreds of loyalists — supporters of 
continued British rule over the six counties that make up Northern 
Ireland — who crammed into Fisherwick Place.

The jeering of those who support the British “union” was directed at the 
families of nationalists gunned down by British state forces in the six 
counties — families who stood not 30 metres away, protesting against the 
British Army’s march of shame.

This was November 2 in Belfast City Centre, and if the actions of the 
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the British Army, loyalist 
mobs and the unionist politicians in the city centre say anything, it is 
to tell nationalists that the struggle for justice and equality has a 
long way to go.

When the British Army decided in September to hold a “homecoming” parade 
in Belfast to “welcome” home soldiers from the British army unit Royal 
Irish Regiment (RIR) who had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the idea 
was greeted with disbelief by the nationalist population.

The relatives of those killed by the British state over the past four 
decades of war in the six counties knew instinctively this march was to 
be an exercise in militaristic posturing that dove-tailed perfectly with 
the unionist campaign — driven by Belfast daily The Newsletter — to 
“Welcome Home the Heroes”.

This campaign provided unionist politicians, Democratic Unionist Party 
members in particular, with a stage on which they could pose as latter 
day Winston Churchills — totally committed to the military prowess of 
the British armed forces (or their efficiency as a killing machine).

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was also quoted in the October 20 An 
Phoblacht stating: “There are also people, including many who are not 
Sinn Fein supporters, who feel that a march to celebrate the actions of 
the British Army and the British government in its wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan is wrong.”

It didn’t matter to unionism that the many thousands of nationalists who 
suffered at the hands of this very same army would be offended by the 
proposed armed parade and fly-past by the RAF.

But when Sinn Fein announced its intention to organise a demonstration 
to give voice to the disgust felt, traditional unionism — enjoying the 
support of “green unionists” in the chattering classes, the churches and 
the Social Democratic and Labour Party — went on the offensive.

The unionist strategy was to accuse Sinn Fein of sectarianism, of 
fomenting trouble and jeopardising peace, the power-sharing executive 
(involving Sinn Fein, the DUP, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party) 
and community relations.

They conjured up images of Belfast City Centre in flames as a scare tactic.

Most vociferous was Nelson McCausland from the Orange Order, who insists 
on imposing unwanted marches on nationalist communities of Belfast year 
in, year out.

McCausland, enraged that the Parades Commission had the temerity to 
allow the Sinn Fein demonstration to go ahead fulminated, “the Parades 
Commission has handed Donegall Place over to Sinn Fein”.

What irked unionists most was the way in which Sinn Fein spokespersons, 
such as MLA Paul Maskey, articulated the legitimacy of the nationalist 
case.

The West Belfast assembly member argued that the British Army gunned 
down over 400 nationalists during the conflict in the North; that the 
RIR and Ulster Defence Regiment operated as surrogates for unionist 
death squads; that members of the UDR were members of the death squads, 
supplying weapons and intelligence that were used to kill hundreds of 
Catholics and nationalists.

As the day of the march drew near, unionists whipped up their supporters 
into a frenzy. The loyalist paramilitaries Ulster Defence Association 
and Ulster Volunteer Force played their part and mobilised within their 
strongholds, telling people to be in Belfast City Centre on the day.

The tension was slowly but surely ratcheted up.

However, unexpectedly on October 31 the British Ministry of Defence 
cancelled its proposed RAF fly-past and said the marching troops would 
not be armed.

Then at a noon press conference, Sinn Fein proposed an alternative route 
for the relatives’ counter-demonstration.

The Sinn Fein decision, that would take the nationalist protest closer 
to the British Army’s march route, meant, according to North Belfast 
assembly member Gerry Kelly, that the focus would remain on the 
relatives’ protest against the British Army.

On their arrival at Fisherwick Place on November 2, the families of 
those victims of British state terror, at the head of a 2000-strong 
crowd, were met by vile sectarian abuse — as well as bottles and other 
projectiles — from the hundreds of loyalists.

The “welcoming” was soon being exposed for what it was, another exercise 
in loyalist coat-tailing.

The loyalist crowd chanted vicious rants, such as “The Famine is over, 
why don’t you go home”, and “Would you like a chicken supper Bobby 
Sands?” (in reference to the Irish republican prisoner who died on 
hunger strike in 1981).

And when the soldiers and their dogs appeared on Fisherwick Place, the 
baying got louder and as each contingent of Irish Guards, the military 
band and the RIR swaggered past, the cheers and jeers became more venomous.

The triumphalism and sectarianism of unionism were on show for anyone 
willing to look. Alas most of the media didn’t want to see it.

Unionism didn’t want see it. The churches ignored it and the SDLP as 
usual were afraid to see it.

What provoked this torrent of bigotry was a silent, dignified 
demonstration of grieving families looking for truth.

Instead, they were confronted by a rabid loyalist mob, whipped up by 
unionist politicians and left alone by the PSNI, telling the croppies to 
lie down.

They need to know that it is long past the time when nationalists will 
ever cower before such a display of bigotry.

[Reprinted from the November 6 An Phoblacht, http://www.anphoblacht.com.]







http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest021108.html

Take the Message Back to Your Masters in Downing Street
02/11/08
400 Irish republicans today gathered in west Belfast in defiance of the 
British government, the British army, the PSNI and the Six County 
Parades Commission.
Activists from all over Ireland saw through the lies and black 
propaganda mustered up by the Royal Irish Regiment’s cheerleaders and 
stood face to face with heavily armed PSNI personnel in a powerful 
statement of opposition to British rule.

éirígí activists and supporters gathered at 10.30am on a glorious day 
which matched the enthusiasm of the large crowd. The demonstrators 
marched towards the PSNI barricade which was set up to stop protests 
against the British military display taking place in the city.
éirígí stewards marched to the barricade and set up a protective line, 
whilst banners bearing messages such as “Oppose Britain’s Murder 
Machine”, were erected and a platform prepared.

Only metres from the barricade, the rally was addressed by Alex McCrory, 
a former H Block republican political prisoner and blanketman, who read 
a statement from Relatives for Justice – the group which campaigns on 
behalf of victims of British state violence.
Following Alex’s contribution, Brenda Downes, whose husband was shot 
dead by the RUC in 1984 at a similar rally, and whose killer was 
acquitted of the charge of manslaughter in a British court, addressed 
the rally and condemned the RIR and British state forces as murderers.
Finally, Brian Leeson, éirígí chairperson, addressed the crowd and 
explained the reasons behind éirígí’s decision to mobilise on the 
streets of Belfast.
Before finishing he addressed the “paramilitary police force of the 
state” and told them to take a message back to their masters.
He said: “Tell them that hundreds of men and women of all ages stood 
before you today. Tell your masters in Downing Street that those men and 
women stood without fear, that they disobeyed your Parades Commission 
and they disobeyed your law.
“Tell your masters, that among the crowds you saw many ex-prisoners, you 
saw blanketmen, you saw the victims of your violence, and tell them, 
that beside these men from the H Blocks, who brought the war to the 
British state for 30 years, stood a new generation that was as 
determined as any generation that came before them.
“Tell them that you looked into the eyes of a risen people, and that 
they were not afraid. You tell your masters that!”






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7704650.stm

Sunday, 2 November 2008

Thousands attend Belfast parade

Soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment with Irish Wolfhound mascots

A homecoming parade for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has 
taken place in Belfast city centre.
Sinn Féin protesters took part in a demonstration against the British 
Army's role in the Troubles.
Police stopped a separate dissident republican counter parade from 
marching into the centre of Belfast at the bottom of the Falls Road.
After a number of speeches, the protesters made their way back to Divis 
Tower.
Earlier, several thousand people walked down the Shankill Road with 
banners welcoming the soldiers.

DUP delegation, including NI First Minister Peter Robinson, arrive at parade
Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly, speaking to protestors at Dunville Park in west 
Belfast, said the parade was a "provocative act which had split the city".
His party changed the route of its protest and told troublemakers to 
stay away.
Also last week, the RAF cancelled a planned fly-past and and it was 
agreed soldiers at the parade would be unarmed.
Despite the concessions made on both sides, there are still fears that 
some loyalists and republicans could infiltrate the peaceful protesters.
Sinn Féin said it was inappropriate to mark the homecoming because 
British troops were responsible for the deaths of Catholic civilians 
during the Troubles.
But unionists said the Army had every right to walk the streets of 
Belfast. They said that the changes made to the parade meant troops in 
Northern Ireland would receive a different welcome home than soldiers 
elsewhere in the UK.

Sinn Féin protest on way to city centre
BBC Ireland correspondent Mark Simpson said the event was being seen as 
a test for the new peaceful era in Belfast.
Politicians on all sides have appealed for demonstrators to be calm and 
dignified, he added.






http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610121

Protest against UK updating nuclear weapons
Posted: 2008/10/29
From: MNN

More than 30 people have been arrested during one of the biggest 
anti-nuclear protests at Britain`s Atomic Weapons Establishment for 10 
years.

The protests, at Aldermaston, south England
, was directed against the government's controversial decision to 
upgrade the country's nuclear missiles in defiance of the UK commitment 
to disarm under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The gates of the site, which develops nuclear warheads, were blocked by 
hundreds of campaigners at the start of UN World Disarmament Week on 
Monday in an attempt to halt work at the weapons factory.

"The government does not seem to take notice of anything else other than 
direct action," said Daniel Viesnik, spokesman for Trident Ploughshare, 
organizing the protest said.

"We are opposed to the development of a new generation of warheads and 
protesters feel more extreme measures like [these on Monday] have to be 
used to get attention," Viesnik said.

Trident Ploughshares, which pledges to disarm the UK Trident nuclear 
weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful, safe and fully 
accountable manner, warned that new bombs being built "will scupper 
nuclear disarmament for another 50 years."

The British government is planning to spend nearly Pnds 6 billion on 
Aldermaston over the next three years, but insists that although the 
submarine-based Trident missile system is being replaced, no decision 
has yet been made to develop new nuclear warheads.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said the protest entitled 
'The Big Blockade' also highlighted the "shocking implications" of last 
year's floods that caused work to be suspended at the nuclear arms plants.

Alarm systems were knocked out by the flooding and despite being 'within 
2 to 3 hours' of potentially radioactive water being released into the 
Berkshire countryside, no site emergency was declared, CND warned.

CND chair Kate Hudson described the biggest blockade of the plant in 
more than a decade as a "great success," showing a "renewed commitment 
that Britain's security should be based on peace and justice, not war 
and nukes."

"At a time of economic crisis, our government is prioritizing nuclear 
bombs over healthcare, job creation and investment in sustainable energy 
production," Hudson said.

"The majority of British taxpayers do not want their money sent on 
Trident replacement and the new generation of nuclear weapons that will 
be made here at Aldermaston," she said. --IRNA #






http://www.nowpublic.com/world/land-warfare-convention-protest

Land warfare Convention - Protest
Share:
by wittaman1 | October 29, 2008 at 02:22 am
26 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment
Photos

Over 50 People attended a Very Noisy Protest outside the 5 Day Land 
Warfare Convention in Centreal Brisbane {Australia} Today.






http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Celtic-match-protest-fears-prompt.4675494.jp

Celtic match protest fears prompt minute's applause for war dead

Published Date: 09 November 2008
By David Leask
CELTIC opted for a minute's applause yesterday to mark Remembrance Day 
amid fears that a more traditional silence would have been disrupted by 
the home fans.
The club, which was hosting Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League, 
was facing the prospect of protest boos from a tiny minority of supporters.

Most fans, however, joined in the applause for the men and women who 
have lost their lives serving their country.

The protest was sparked when the Scottish Premier League asked clubs to 
incorporate a poppy into their strips yesterday, to mark Remembrance Day.

A section of Celtic supporters had planned to walk out 10 minutes into 
the game to show their anger at the symbol, which they see as supporting 
British imperialism.

Fans had been leafleted before the game by an organisation called Cairde 
Na hEireann – a Scottish-based organisation close to Irish republicans – 
which urged fans to congregate beside the statue of the club's founder 
Brother Walfrid, which stands outside the main door. Only a few hundred 
fans did so.

Some veterans, however, had warned that they felt the applause was 
disrespectful and that they would rather supporters observed a minute's 
silence.

Major Ronnie Proctor, curator of the Black Watch Museum in Perth, said: 
"The minute's silence is a tradition in this country and people are 
expected to respect the silence. I'd like it to continue. I think the 
majority of people will respect it.

"I've been to Rangers, Celtic, Dundee and Dundee United games and the 
silence has been respected."

Clubs now routinely encourage applause rather than silence to remember 
the dead. Celtic fans have warmly applauded the late Jock Stein, their 
former manager.

Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson, who died last month, was 
remembered with enthusiastic clapping by his club's fans, and his many 
admirers.

Celtic Football Club has distanced itself from any suggestion that the 
poppy campaign is political or from protesting supporters.

A spokesman for the club said: "These groups do not represent Celtic's 
support.

"The club, including playing staff, is pleased to play its part in 
supporting the Poppy Appeal.

"The vast majority of fans share our view."

Celtic is believed to have lost several thousand fans in wars over the 
last century. Games are regularly watched on TV by troops serving in 
Afghanistan and Iraq.