Protesting in Ireland

[StripeyCat]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

It seems that the state will back big business every time, and use the police force as thugs to terrorise their way through any opposition.


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[ergo]

"garda violence against peaceful protests at Ballanaboy"

Some of the protesters at Bellanaboy have NOT been behaving peacably. People are entitiled to go to their work. The protesters should cop themselves on, realise that they are a minority even in their own area, and obey the law.

[Binx]

I hate protesting. It has had some historically major wins but these wins inspired every jobless hippy to think that they can bring the system to a halt every time they disagree with a certain policy. Be the change lads, don't just try to coerce it.

[Thac0man]

We do seem to have a hard core of professional protesters in this country. Their day-to-day successs seems to be gauged on how much they manage to cost the tax payer. Unfortunitly they taint many causes with their misbahaviour, assuming they cannot hijack them entirely.

On occassion we import them, as in the Wicklow bypass eco-camp, but that simularly was protest as a life style rather than a means.

[qtman]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

Hopefully, there isn't a future for "direct action protests" as you call them.

The protests at Bellenaboy and along the M3 make it much more difficult for legitimate groups to challenge these developments through the channels of parliamentary democracy.

[Leftfemme22]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

Hopefully, there isn't a future for "direct action protests" as you call them.

The protests at Bellenaboy and along the M3 make it much more difficult for legitimate groups to challenge these developments through the channels of parliamentary democracy.

And thus your total capitulation is complete.

Given that parlimantary democracy in this country has been routinely discredited and shown to be corrupt and in the pocket of big business, protesting remains a necsessary course of action.

M3 is a disgrace. Corrib a disgrace.

What have your so-called legitimate groups achieved.
In fact who are they, who have they challenged and when can we expect to see results?

[Aindriu]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

Hopefully, there isn't a future for "direct action protests" as you call them.

The protests at Bellenaboy and along the M3 make it much more difficult for legitimate groups to challenge these developments through the channels of parliamentary democracy.

Parliamentary democracy? In Ireland? Don't make me laugh. Show me a TD who won't capitulate to big business and I will believe in the second coming of Christ.

The Greens have sold their soul to Beelzebud so they could be in power. If they won't intervene to stop Tara and Corrib what hope is there?

[qtman]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

Hopefully, there isn't a future for "direct action protests" as you call them.

The protests at Bellenaboy and along the M3 make it much more difficult for legitimate groups to challenge these developments through the channels of parliamentary democracy.

Parliamentary democracy? In Ireland? Don't make me laugh. Show me a TD who won't capitulate to big business and I will believe in the second coming of Christ.

That you have a low opinion of TDs doesn't mean we don't have a parliamentary democracy.

We have free, open and transparent elections, proportional representation, a free press, a written constitution and an independent judiciary. The quality of our democracy is unquestioned, and the envy of many developed countries.

The fact that the electorate use it to elect gombeens is unfortunate, but also their right.

[CookieMonster]

There was a successful protest (in that nobody was injured/arrested) for the Anti-war one a few years back.
Also there was a march in support of irish ferries workers also.

I'm sure more people here can provide others that didn't end in violence/arrest...

[Aindriu]

With protesters against the route of the M3 being arrested and assaulted, and the long history of Garda violence against the peaceful protests at Bellanaboy, what is the future of non-violent direct action protests in Ireland?

Hopefully, there isn't a future for "direct action protests" as you call them.

The protests at Bellenaboy and along the M3 make it much more difficult for legitimate groups to challenge these developments through the channels of parliamentary democracy.

Parliamentary democracy? In Ireland? Don't make me laugh. Show me a TD who won't capitulate to big business and I will believe in the second coming of Christ.

That you have a low opinion of TDs doesn't mean we don't have a parliamentary democracy.

We have free, open and transparent elections, proportional representation, a free press, a written constitution and an independent judiciary. The quality of our democracy is unquestioned, and the envy of many developed countries.

The fact that the electorate use it to elect gombeens is unfortunate, but also their right.

I note that you have chose to selectively quote me and completely ignore my comment about the Greens. Does the truth hurt perchance?