Ireland Anarchist News & Events from WSM - Oct 2015 - South
West (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
Welcome to the new electronic WSM Newsletter. We will be sending this to all the people
on our email contact system around the start of each month. This first issue is a little
rushed so as to be out ahead of the Belfast anarchist bookfair on this Saturday but you
can expect to read news of our activity around the island and what’s coming up in the next
month. ---- We hope you find this newsletter useful and would welcome your feedback. If
you are organising events that are broadly compatible with the WSM’s politics and
organising methods email us a one sentence summary about them and a web link by the 31st
October for inclusion in the next issue. ---- The Big Picture ---- It’s no secret that the
last few years have been tough for WSM with it looking possible this time last year that
we might cease to exist. However almost a year back, after a long period of discussion we
decided that Ireland needed an organised anarchist presence and a renewed WSM was the best
place to build this from. This involves both learning lessons from our own past, and that
of the left in general but also ideas coming from other struggles and other movements in
particular the best practise of intersectional feminism.
If you are interested in the specifics of this the position papers agreed this time last
year but based on 18 months of collective education & discussion reflect this process.
There are
Anarchism, Oppression & Exploitation
Role of the Anarchist Organisation
http://www.wsm.ie/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1323&qid=39198
Since then we have been re-establishing our presence around the county. There are a couple
of hundred people who have told us there are interested in becoming member or supporters
of the WSM. The big challenge for the relatively small number of volunteers who form the
current membership is how to develop that interest with our limited time and resources. If
you’ve indicated an interest but either we’ve failed to follow up properly or you’ve
dropped out of contact do please chase us up. And do push yourself forward, particularly
in those areas where our numbers are few (or non existent) - we need interested people who
will take the initiative and work with us to organise with others locally.
Island wide activity
With our printed publications discontinued until new we agree new ones the centre of our
island wide activity are our online publications including
The WSM Facebook page
http://www.wsm.ie/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1325&qid=39198 (should hit
59,000 followers around now)
The new Solidarity Times Facebook page
http://www.wsm.ie/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1326&qid=39198
The WSM Twitter account
The WSM website which archives most material posted to the channels above as well as our
Youtube & Mixcloud accounts.
With Solidarity Times we are eager to get additional local reporting of protests and other
events, in particular from areas outside of Dublin. So if you are attending something
consider taking a photo or two and messaging it to the page along with a sentence or two
about the event.
Next month we will have a major membership conference to workshop, plan and decide on
future publications as we have discontinued both our printed publications Workers
Solidarity and Irish Anarchist Review while we considered what the most effective methods
of communication for us to use in the future are. We will have a limited number of
observer spaces at this open to existing supporters and people who want to become members
so if you’d like to attend let us know.
Dublin
In September the Dublin branch of the Workers Solidarity Movement has been active in a
wide range of struggles for a better world.
The WSM organised a banner-making session in support of refugees and took part in an
anti-racism/refugee solidarity demonstration in Dublin city centre.
Our members are also involved in the Dublin to Calais solidarity convoy.
http://www.wsm.ie/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1330&qid=39198
The WSM promoted and marched together in the 4th Annual March for Choice.
As the war on Irish Water continues, our members have been involved in organising street
and community meetings.
We also took part in two large demonstrations in Dublin City, one against water charges
and another in support of the Jobstown demonstrators facing charges.
Our members have been heavily involved in housing struggles. We took part in housing
marches in Darndale; a homeless march from the GPO , and an occupation of Dublin City
Council . We continue to be very active in the Barricade Inn, though we note the
dissolution of the decision-making collective this month as a cause of concern for the
future of social centre activities.
WSM members also attended a solidarity film-night for the Zapatista teacher Galeano and
ademonstration for the disappeared students of Ayotzinapa outside the Mexican embassy.
Our members also organised a
https://www.mixcloud.com/workerssolidarity/discussion-group-on-post-capi... around Paul
Mason's new book, 'Postcapitalism'. - FB details of the next meeting of this group
Dublin WSM open branch discussion - Jigsaw, 10 Belvdere Court (old Seomra building), 20:30
- 21:30 Tuesday 13th Oct
#DeathSquadGoals: The history of COINTELPRO and lessons for activists today'.
Jules writes: "We will take a look at COINTELPRO - the FBI surveillance programme that
destroyed the Black Panthers in the 60s in the US - and similar programmes in other
places, and discuss how that relates to the security culture for activists and targeted
groups today".
Belfast
The Belfast branch of the WSM was revitalized in March this year, since then we have
organised rallies in solidarity with Anarchists imprisoned by the Spanish State and in
solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement in Baltimore and a student solidarity
action with the murder and disappearance of 43 Mexican student's.
We have marched in many protests the most notable being the March 13th Strike which drew a
massive anarchist bloc.
Members of the branch have been active in putting up anti-sexist, anti-racist,
anti-capitalist and anti-homophobia posters around the city not to mention covering the
city centre with abortion access information.
A little later in the year we launched a radical queer initiative, Queer Action, with
politics based on liberation, not assimilation.
Most recently we have been active in organising stunts and protests around a woman who has
been charged for providing very safe abortion pills to her daughter.
This weekend we are taking part in the 8th Belfast Anarchist Bookfair. Do call down to
our stall.
Please feel free to join us on the 17th of October at 2pm outside City Hall for a protest
to save our NHS!
Derry
The Derry WSM have now regrouped following the summer break. Over the summer anarchists in
Derry took part in a number of demonstrations and rallies in Belfast and Derry against
public sector cuts as well as solidarity actions in support of refugees and of course with
Foyle Pride. At present we are looking at the next edition of our free newsletter 'Free
Citizen'.
We meet regularly, every fortnight, to organise activity locally as well as discussions on
anarchism generally. If you would like to get involved with the WSM in the Derry area or
take part in events then please drop us a line at: derryanarchists@gmail.com or
Facebook.com/derryanarchists
Cork
After a long history in Cork
http://www.wsm.ie/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=1341&qid=39198 the WSM branch
there faded out of existence in the first half of this year. The good news is that a
group are now discussing relaunching the WSM in Cork. Contact us if you’d like to be involved.
Connacht
There is a Facebook group for people interested in helping WSM organise in Connacht and
we’ve been meeting occasionally in Galway. Contact us if you’d like to be added to that
group.
Castlebar - A group of us are having a sleep-out at Enda Kenny's constituency office Sat
night mainly awareness raising for homeless crisis and to fundraise for Galway Simon.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1004547952911302/
Outside these areas?
If you don’t live in one of these areas and feel pretty motivated about helping WSM to
organise where you are drop us a line and we will have a conversation about helping you to
get things off the ground.
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