Galway activists reclaim the streets building for ESF
galway |
anti-capitalism |
press release 
Monday November 03, 2003 20:22
by Kieran Cunnane - Galway Anti-Capitalist Movement
kierancunnane at eircom dot net
091 770067
Galway activists reclaim the streets building for ESF.
Activists for a wide range of issues reclaimed the streets of Galway on Saturday 1st Nov by holding a carnival of information stands on a wide range of issues. The colorful event was organised to highlight the upcoming European Social Forum, and also helped to reclaim the streets. In recent weeks, the authorities have been harassing campaigner’s rights to have a table on the street, with a community warden on one occasion calling the guards. The authorities are no doubt upset by Defend Free Speech, Assembly and Activity putting them under the public microscope. The harassment was an attempt to bully people using a law intended for the open road on a pedestrian street. Now NGO’s and political parties have united by writing a combined signed letter to each of the local news papers. The letter (stating that we the undersigned will not be bullied off our streets) was published in the Galway Advertiser, the Connacht Tribune and the Galway Independent. Saturday’s event re-established campaigners rights. Communication with the Guards was friendly, and the community warden stayed well away.
The event was well supported by groups with stands on Fair Trade, 3rd World and Debt Reduction, Amnesty International, Public Transport, Waste Management, Ireland Palestine Solidarity, Anti-war, Anti-Capitalism and Free Speech. Pictures available.
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9lovely jubily - now we're suckin' diesel!
Dont forget the Grassroots Gathering, this weekend
http://grassrootsgathering.freeservers.com/
what 's this then, a positive piece of sort-of-direct action, possibly being slightly successful.........better not comment then........
What is this site like - can't ppl recognise progress and then debate future strategy....or does Dublin based news exclusively count as 'news'?
Good show of Solidarity, folks in Galway.....as for indymedia..........
We could all post 'well done Galway'
But otherwise you'll find the most popular threads are those where indymedia user disagree with each other. Slight disagreements (eg between SWP and SP) are more popular then major disagreements.
The real world works like that too.
where are all the galway readers comments?
What's with the use of the 'reclaim the streets' phrase? As far as I can make out from the pictures and text there was no occupation of a street and blocking of traffic. Forgive me for being pedantic, but I thought that was the meaning of 'reclaiming the streets'.
There are all sorts of people trying to recuperate the phrase since it became prominent in Ireland. A Dublin FG councillor even had a 'reclaim your street' headline in one of his bulletins - referring to an appeal for more cops!
I'm not intending to criticise the action, just quibbling about the use of the phrase when it seems that no street was reclaimed. Maybe 'reclaiming our rights' or 'reclaiming our voices' would have been better. Otherwise, fair play keep the pressure up on the council.
Council tries to ban street gatherings so resisting such a ban is 'reclaiming the stree' is it not.
+1 comment for Ollie = galway happiness
I didn't realise that. Fair play to the galwegians again. Anybody else got a quibble to keep ollie happy? ;-)
it get's uttered every day in multiple contexts and meanings quite magical. But I assure you it never changes what is thought to be termed "true meaning".
¿which FG TD?
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