Update: March 24th

Checking thru Indymedia the various people
who wrote in offer the following details of today’s demos:

Galway:

The March and rally in Galway numbered around 1,500 - 2,000. It started at Fr. Burke Park and marched through the centre of the city, where it was joined by anti-war protestors along the way. Groups represented at the march included the Galway Alliance Against War, Wesport Against War, Community Workers Co-Op, Labour, the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party, and Sinn Fein. There was a mixture of political speeches and music. People from Iraq, living in Galway, also took part in the march. Nuria, from Iraq (who was interviewed in Liveline, RTE 1 during the week), spoke very eloquently about her fears for her family in Iraq. She thanked people for coming out and showing their opposition to the war. She pleaded with them to continue to come out against the war. She also mentioned a march from Galway to Shannon against the war.

Contributed by Orla Ni Chomhrai
Cork:

Between 4,000 and 5,000 people participated in today's anti-war march in Cork city. The focus was firmly on government complicity with the US war effort and the demonstration halted briefly outside Fianna Fail Regional Headquarters on Grand Parade, which had been occupied earlier in the day by anti-war protesters. When the demonstration reached Patrick Street, the city's main thoroughfare, there was a mass sit down that covered the entire length of the street. People sang songs and chanted slogans - the sit-down lasted for about 20 minutes before the march moved off again to listen to speeches near Daunt Square.

Contributed by Dr Fintan Lane
erick Protest Today with Photos
by mama - Midwest Alliance against Military Aggression Sat, Mar 22 2003, 10:57pm
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400 people marched in Limerick today starting at 2pm from Penneys, up O'Connell St, down Henry St. to a rally at Arthurs Quay Park before returning to O'Connell St. where a twenty minute sit down protest took place. The rally in the park was addressed by Joe Sheehan & Katherine Harford from organisers MAMA, Cllr. John Gilligan(IND), Ron Byrne(Socialist Party), Jan O'Sullivan T.D. (Labour), Pauric Malone(Sinn Féin), Mark Deane (Youth against War), Tim Hourigan(Shannon Peace Camp) and Tracey Ryan (Gluaiseacht). Not all of the speakers participated in the sit down;-) The Guards didn't interfere with the sit down which attracted first amusement and then support from the shoppers and people in town for the day who came upon it. Eoin Ó Broin SU president at UL lead "give peace a chance" at the sit in accompanied by reknowned Clare Djembe teacher John Bowker. There was a large enthusiastic showing from the

Youth Against War contingent with plenty of parents and kids too. It rocked! Next Mama meeting Tuesday 7:30PM Halla Íde, Thomas St.

Chants heard on the march.
by chant Sat, Mar 22 2003, 11:25pm

Besides the usual 1... 2... 3... 4... "War Criminals are in the Dail...
They're called PDs and Fianna Fail" "This Government has got to go...
regime change begins at home"

BBC Reports, sat. evening, 22nd.

Thousands march to Belfast rally

Protesters at Belfast city centre rally

Protest organised by Irish Congress of Trade Unions

Several thousand people have marched through Belfast city centre to join a rally against the war in Iraq.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) organised the protest held on Saturday afternoon.
Similar rallies have taken place in other towns across Northern Ireland.
In the North-West, a protest was held at Guildhall Square in Londonderry.
Another demonstration took place in Cookstown, County Tyrone.

ICTU maintained such demonstrations were still important, although the conflict was already under way. ICTU Assistant General Secretary Peter Bunting said the strong turnout of young people in Belfast on Saturday augured well for the future of the democratic process.

"For a large number of years, young people have become very apathetic in democratic participation. We now see them demonstrating in their thousands across the world, and particularly in Northern Ireland, about their abhorrence for violence," he said.

Rallies were also held in major Irish cities, including the capital Dublin where a crowd of about 5,000 people turned out in the city centre.

'Anger'

Organiser Richard Boyd Barrett said people were outraged the Irish parliament had voted to allow American military planes to continuing refuelling at Shannon airport in County Clare.
"I think there is a very high level of anger," he said. “Despite all the protests Bush and Blair have carried on defying the will of the majority of people in the world."

However, Ulster Unionist MP Reverend Martin Smyth said many protesters were expressing more opposition and anger towards America and Britain than towards the Iraqi regime. "It does seem to me not to be a balanced protest. These people protesting against the war ought to have been out at an earlier stage to protest against the tyranny of Sadaam Hussein," he said.

 

Ulster TV said:

Close to 10,000 people gathered at an anti-war rally in Dublin. The Congress of Trade Unions has backed today’s rally, as has a coalition representing the main Muslim organisations. Speakers have described the overnight bombing of Iraq as an obscenity.

Other protests are taking place in towns across both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Up to 2000 people have attended the anti-war rally in Belfast. The Assistant General Secretary of ICTU, Peter Bunting, told the crowd the war is unnecessary, immoral and illegal.


Trade unionists, student activists, representatives of Northern Ireland`s Muslim community and several peace groups have taken part in the rally, which was also attended by a number of leading nationalist politicians.

In Waterford around 300 people took part in an anti-war protest. Speakers included Br Columbanus from the Franciscan Friary in Waterford, who was a member of the British Air Force during the Second World War. He likened last nights bombing of Baghdad to that of the bombing of Dresden during the World War Two and asked people to pray for peace.

 

RTE reports:

Up to 10,000 attend anti-war rally in Dublin. Up to 10,000 people gathered at an anti-war rally on Dame Street in Dublin. The Dublin rally was due to make its way to Government buildings during the afternoon. The Congress of Trade Unions backed the rally, as did a coalition representing the main Muslim organisations. Speakers described the overnight bombing of Iraq as an obscenity.

A number of protestors broke away from the anti-war demonstration and threw red paint bombs at the Progressive Democrats headquarters on South Fredrick Street.
Later, the walls of Government buildings were also spattered with red paint.

Smaller rallies are taking place in other centres around the country.

Cork

Gardaí in Cork said that between 1,500 and 2,000 people took part in the protest in the city. Organisers claimed the total was double that estimate. The demonstrators lay down on Patrick Street for a short time, but Gardaí said that the protest was peaceful.

Belfast

Up to 4,000 people have attended the anti-war rally in Belfast. The Assistant General Secretary of ICTU, Peter Bunting, told the crowd the war is unnecessary, immoral and illegal.
Trade unionists, student activists, representatives of the North's Muslim community and several peace groups have taken part in the rally, which was also attended by a number of leading nationalist politicians.

Waterford

In Waterford around 300 people took part in an anti-war protest. Speakers included Br Columbanus from the Franciscan Friary in Waterford, who was a member of the British Air Force during the Second World War. He likened last nights bombing of Baghdad to that of the bombing of Dresden during the World War Two and asked people to pray for peace.

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