12 July 2001 Edition
Ireland's part in the anti-globalisation movement
In the second of a series of article on globalisation and the worldwide movement against it, JUSTIN MORAN talks to some Irish activists who are preparing for the next confrontation with the forces of global capital at this month's scheduled G8 summit in Genoa, Italy.
The police are taking no chances. Plans are underway to block people trying to enter the city at train stations and airports. Should it be necessary, the VIPs can be put to sea for their own safety and a ready supply of body bags has been put in stock, just in case.
The Italian government is determined that the G8 summit planned for Genoa in the middle of July will go off without a hitch and claims to be prepared for any possible threat. But thousands of protestors across the world are determined to make their presence felt in Genoa, as they did in Seattle, Prague and Gothenburg. Several hundred Irish protestors are expected to make the journey to Genoa by road and by plane, many of them organised by a new group called Globalise Resistance (GR).
Globalise Resistance emerged out of a conferences organised in Trinity College in February of this year which brought together environmental activists, One World and the Socialist Workers Party. In a few short months, the organisation has expanded to the point where it now serves as an umbrella group including representatives of the Green Party, Sinn Féin, Labour Youth and a variety of smaller left-wing organisations, united in common opposition to globalisation and neo-liberalism.
Their media spokesperson, Rory Hearne, a former President of Trinity Students Union, believes the organisation attracts people unaligned with any organisation as well those who are disillusioned with the party political process. ``I think the biggest motivation would have to be the international movement,'' he says. ``These people are reading books like No Logo by Naomi Klein, they've seen the pictures on the TV, and think GR hasn't got any political agenda except that it's against globalisation.''
The group is not just centred on the summit protests so familiar in recent years. ``We want to organise demonstrations, protests against multinationals in Ireland and exploitation, the manifestation of globalisation here in Ireland and raise awareness of the issues,'' said Hearne.
In May, the organisation shut down the Irish stock exchange and further protests are planned over the summer. One of the most successful to date was the peaceful occupation of the River Island store on Grafton Street in protest at the sweatshop labour used to manufacture many of the clothes on sale. A crowd of about 50 people actually entered the store and closed down the first floor for almost two hours, while police looked on helplessly.
Recently, the movement has also decided to get involved in the campaign against the Bin Tax, which it sees as an example of the growth of neo-liberalism in Ireland.
Though based mainly in Dublin, the message is spreading out of the country, partly through the organisation's innovative use of Internet communications. Party posters and leaflets are available to download off their website and this allows activists all over the country to stay `on message' and organise locally.
But what kind of message is it? Anti-globalisation protests and acts of violence seem to go hand in hand but Hearne believes the responsibility for this doesn't rest with the protestors. ``The general view regarding demonstrations so far would be that the violence is caused by the police. If you look at the Gothenburg protests, the schools in which the activists had set up were surrounded by the police and hundreds arrested. That's pure provocation.''
It would be easy to dismiss Globalise Resistance and its constituent organisations as the voice of the fringe left, but the group is undoubtedly well organised and is gaining respect from some of the more established left wing parties. The effects of the explosion of interest in the anti-globalisation movement across the world may have finally reached Ireland.
As a result of this, the organisation intends to organise more formally on its successful return from Genoa with plans for a conference some time in the autumn being mooted. At the moment, an ad hoc group representing the parties and movements involved runs the organisation but this makes it harder for people who are members of no group to get involved. The fact that the numbers of such people have grown to the stage where the organisation needs to adapt to suit them is a positive sign for the long-term growth of Globalise Resistance.
Email: [email protected] to contact the organisation.
The police are taking no chances. Plans are underway to block people trying to enter the city at train stations and airports. Should it be necessary, the VIPs can be put to sea for their own safety and a ready supply of body bags has been put in stock, just in case.
The Italian government is determined that the G8 summit planned for Genoa in the middle of July will go off without a hitch and claims to be prepared for any possible threat. But thousands of protestors across the world are determined to make their presence felt in Genoa, as they did in Seattle, Prague and Gothenburg. Several hundred Irish protestors are expected to make the journey to Genoa by road and by plane, many of them organised by a new group called Globalise Resistance (GR).
Globalise Resistance emerged out of a conferences organised in Trinity College in February of this year which brought together environmental activists, One World and the Socialist Workers Party. In a few short months, the organisation has expanded to the point where it now serves as an umbrella group including representatives of the Green Party, Sinn Féin, Labour Youth and a variety of smaller left-wing organisations, united in common opposition to globalisation and neo-liberalism.
Their media spokesperson, Rory Hearne, a former President of Trinity Students Union, believes the organisation attracts people unaligned with any organisation as well those who are disillusioned with the party political process. ``I think the biggest motivation would have to be the international movement,'' he says. ``These people are reading books like No Logo by Naomi Klein, they've seen the pictures on the TV, and think GR hasn't got any political agenda except that it's against globalisation.''
The group is not just centred on the summit protests so familiar in recent years. ``We want to organise demonstrations, protests against multinationals in Ireland and exploitation, the manifestation of globalisation here in Ireland and raise awareness of the issues,'' said Hearne.
In May, the organisation shut down the Irish stock exchange and further protests are planned over the summer. One of the most successful to date was the peaceful occupation of the River Island store on Grafton Street in protest at the sweatshop labour used to manufacture many of the clothes on sale. A crowd of about 50 people actually entered the store and closed down the first floor for almost two hours, while police looked on helplessly.
Recently, the movement has also decided to get involved in the campaign against the Bin Tax, which it sees as an example of the growth of neo-liberalism in Ireland.
Though based mainly in Dublin, the message is spreading out of the country, partly through the organisation's innovative use of Internet communications. Party posters and leaflets are available to download off their website and this allows activists all over the country to stay `on message' and organise locally.
But what kind of message is it? Anti-globalisation protests and acts of violence seem to go hand in hand but Hearne believes the responsibility for this doesn't rest with the protestors. ``The general view regarding demonstrations so far would be that the violence is caused by the police. If you look at the Gothenburg protests, the schools in which the activists had set up were surrounded by the police and hundreds arrested. That's pure provocation.''
It would be easy to dismiss Globalise Resistance and its constituent organisations as the voice of the fringe left, but the group is undoubtedly well organised and is gaining respect from some of the more established left wing parties. The effects of the explosion of interest in the anti-globalisation movement across the world may have finally reached Ireland.
As a result of this, the organisation intends to organise more formally on its successful return from Genoa with plans for a conference some time in the autumn being mooted. At the moment, an ad hoc group representing the parties and movements involved runs the organisation but this makes it harder for people who are members of no group to get involved. The fact that the numbers of such people have grown to the stage where the organisation needs to adapt to suit them is a positive sign for the long-term growth of Globalise Resistance.
Email: [email protected] to contact the organisation.