South Belfast Anti Racism Network {ARN} meeting

antrim | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Thursday August 19, 2004 13:45

by D

Last night South Belfast ARN meeting was attended by local residents and trade unionists, as well as between fifteen to twenty representatives of various local community organisations and support groups from around South Belfast.

Last night South Belfast ARN meeting was attended by local residents and trade unionists, as well as between fifteen to twenty representatives of various local community organisations and support groups from around South Belfast. The meeting came up with a lot of concrete proposals and several working groups where established to take on these tasks.

Immediate issues raised where that of fundraising {gigs etc}, providing immediate and active response and solidarity to victims of attacks, {'safe houses - shelter', phone network for immediate mobilisation and support for the victims etc}. Providing a collective local response through the mobilising of local communities and trade unions against attacks. Poster campaigns in which local community organisations and residents etc put them up in their windows {not in isolation but by getting as many people within a local area to do it all at the same time together}. Many other issues where raised and discussed, from the the issue of lack of housing, facilities etc, through to leafleting, newssheets, first contact cards etc , with the local Network to meet again in two weeks time while working groups work on those various tasks at hand.

It was also raised that the ARN steering group are discussing the holding of a mass rally against racism in Belfast in the time ahead. Which would seek to mobilise trade union, community and support organisations, not only from around Belfast but from around Northern Ireland to attend.

save preference

Comments (16 of 16)

mass rally

by tully - none

Fri Aug 20, 2004 13:20

would representatives of the state, main establishment political parties and the churches be welcomed onto the platform as has happened before?

A hard choice

by Ind Soc

Fri Aug 20, 2004 13:45

No I would prefer all anarchists on the platform, who would rally call '''war on the loyalists neo fascists'' and their attacks on Catholics, Blacks and gays. Then go and put up a few posters around '''not inside''' the area then head of to the pub ''' the usual one as before''' for a load of beer for a job well done, knowing that Catholic, Black and gay people are now safe.

Rally

by Gilbert Jeannon

Fri Aug 20, 2004 15:36

Could a rally be called in Dungannon in solidarity with the black workers who are suffering the double prejudice of poor working conditions and racism ?

What?

by confused

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:33

A hard choice
by Ind Soc Friday, Aug 20 2004, 12:45pm

No I would prefer all anarchists on the platform, who would rally call '''war on the loyalists neo fascists'' and their attacks on Catholics, Blacks and gays. Then go and put up a few posters around '''not inside''' the area then head of to the pub ''' the usual one as before''' for a load of beer for a job well done, knowing that Catholic, Black and gay people are now safe.

What is this comment ment to mean?????

Welcome To Indymedia!

by Onlooker

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:38

I think he means he doesn't like anarchists, 'caise they're all talk. Typical indymedia thread, a worthwhile campaign gets ignored by those who're more interested in slagging other people off. Expect the thread to degenerate into a row between the SWP and the SP shortly. Then to finish it all off, some terrorist apologist will write 10,000 words blaming everything on the Brits.

you beat me to it - but another anniversary anyway

by the citizen

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:47

I was just going to say that, in this month:
on Aug. 22 (1922) Michael Collins died from a single bullet wound at Beal na Blath, Cork, on the 22d (1922), and Eamon de Valera, former Taoiseach and president, died on the 29th in 1975.

QED the evil Brits are to blame!

et tu, brute

by yeahright

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:49

'Then to finish it all off, some terrorist apologist will write 10,000 words blaming everything on the Brits.'
Looks like you're into the slagging-off yourself, 'Onlooker'.

Mea Culpa

Fri Aug 20, 2004 17:57

Well, it's a bit like the uncertainty principle: by criticising people for off-the-point squabbling, you become guilty of it yourself. Do did it yourself just there. And now I'm doing it again.

Seriously though, it's something that bothers me about this site. I'll give you an example from the topics currently on the board.

A Critique of the SP was posted on Aug 12 and has 109 comments so far.

The piece on the (to my mind) more urgent topic of the attempted deportation of Kate Bamidele, posted on Aug 10? Only 36 posts. And 13 of them were squabbling about which miniscule left-wing grouping was or wasn't sufficiently involved in the campaign.

I feel this is a problem with left-wing politics in general - self-obsession. People start to forget about the issues and focus on abstract ideas, and how those ideas are superior to other people's ideas. Anyway, here endeth the lecture

Easy explanation

by Badman

Fri Aug 20, 2004 18:07

Ind Soc is a member of the SWP in Belfast. For a while now they have been attempting to paint the fascists out campaign as:
1) elitist and only interested in physical confrontation with the fash
and
2) all talk

The charges don't seem to have too much basis in reality, and therefore, the SWP have to actually impersonate an indepedent socialist, impersonating an anarchist in order to try to stir some shit. As far as I know nobody is, or ever has been, against broad based anti-racist platforms. It is just a crude attempt to misrepresent the ideas of anybody who refuses to accept the leadership of the one true party. Pathetic.

Proving my point

Fri Aug 20, 2004 18:09

Oh Jaysus....

you look a lot, you understand little

Fri Aug 20, 2004 18:22

Hi onlooker,

You should try to understand a problem before you solve it. Simple, naive appeals for everybody to get along are just that - simple and naive. Like one of those religious idiots who tried to solve the northern troubles by preaching at taigs and prods to 'just get along'.

I provided you with an accurate description of what the actual agenda was of the trolls of this thread - you don't seem to want to know - prefering to preach your worthless inanities. Sorry to be so harsh, but get down off your altar, get your head out your ass and try to understand the world around you.

more common

by simple and naive blind bigotry

Fri Aug 20, 2004 23:26

I think you will find it is more common for religious idiots to preach competition, hate and bigotry rather than the gospel of love thy neighbour.

Well

Sat Aug 21, 2004 11:57

Here we go, again, briefly,

{Tully - none}, rally speakers will be decided by the rally organisers at the time,

{Gilbert}, good idea, and no doubt regional demos if possible could follow in time, already working on establishing more substantial links in such areas, If you have other contacts there could you e-mail them to the network,

{Onlooker}, Indymedia despite its problems is seeing more informative and non sectarian debates, just ignore those that are obviously seeking to cause sectarianism {don't bite to them},

{Badman} IND SOC is a member of the SWP in Belfast?, Apart from the problem of people using others style of writing, or others names, or the fact that in Belfast many 'differing activists' I know and see, use the same liked server - url, that is, the free internet library service in the city centre with scores of linked computers, or more obvious the fact that people will actually want you to think that certain groups are 'attacking' other certain groups, makes it both a guessing game and a problem for those who wish to see it as such.

So I will not respond to your accusation, but on your important points, I have very recently both spoke on platforms and debated on Indymedia the issue of various campaigns, so as I presume the 'elitist' term, etc {in relation to fascist Out} is directed at oneself, I therefore provide a link to a recent fraternal debate that took place of the ARN postion and onself also within it as a Belfast SWP member.

Onlooker you do make a relevant point.

Must go, another racist attack and again families put out of their homes by fascist fucking scum in Portadown, this situation is getting fucking worse. D

unity

by Proud to Be against you

Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:01

Green and Orange unite against the new invasion and against our traitors within !!!!

Unite against nazi/fascist invasion

by dial-a-sharp-ninja

Sat Aug 21, 2004 23:42

Yes its time to unite against cowardly fascist scum.

Get real

by People's voice

Sun Aug 22, 2004 15:04

why do assume that all anti-immigration sentiment is fascistic? The ordinary working class peope resent being treated as second-class citizens in their own country.They know better than you that there will be no socialist paradise. They understand that they will just become poorer and more marginalised. You're no friends to anyone except slave-wage employers and global markets.

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South Belfast Anti Racism Network {ARN} meeting

Comments (16 of 16)