Damp squib as crowds stay away
Saturday June 26 2004
But the marches passed off peacefully and in Shannon, which had been billed as a potential flashpoint for trouble, the protest turned into a relatively damp squib as only 500 people turned up.
The Shannon march was stopped a mile and a half from the airport terminal as a massive six-mile security cordon sealed off the complex. However, senior garda officers are anticipating a much bigger turnout this morning as many of those who took part in the demonstrations elsewhere are expected to travel to Shannon for a march on Dromoland Castle.
Protesters marching towards the venue of the EU-US summit from the Ennis direction will be halted by gardai and troops at Latoon Bridge a mile from the castle, while the Shannon march will be halted even further away.
The biggest protest last night was staged in Dublin where 10,000 demonstrators turned up to highlight their disapproval at the Bush policies in Iraq and the mistreatment of prisoners. Elsewhere, numbers varied but there were no incidents:
* In Galway, a protest organised by the Galway Alliance Against War through the city centre attracted 2,000 marchers including the new mayor, Labour councillor Catherine Connolly.
* In Waterford, 400 protesters walked for half a mile along the Mall and Parnell Street with dozens lying on the ground outside the Tower Hotel.
* In Tralee, over 150 people marched following weekly anti-war protests including candlelit vigils over the past 15 months.
* In Sligo, 400 protesters were led by Alderman Declan Bree and a team of drummers.
The demonstration in Dublin had a family atmosphere with many couples accompanied by their children. The demonstration followed a route along O'Connell Street across the bridge into D'Olier Street, past Trinity College into Nassau Street and ended at the top of Merrion Street.
Many carried posters depicting George Bush with slogans such as "Bush not wanted", "No thanks, Mr President, we don't want you", and "End the War in Iraq". At the front of the parade a group of TDs, including Ciaran Cuffe, Tony Gregory, Finian McGrath and Joe Higgins, carried a banner that read "Stop Bush No War".
Among the groups participating were members of the Irish actors union, Equity, the Irish musicians union, Sinn Fein, the Socialist Workers Party and Quakers for Peace.
Also in the crowd was Labour leader Pat Rabbitte who said that while he accepted that the Taoiseach had to meet President Bush, he did hope that Mr Ahern would take the opportunity of informing him that the Irish people were vehemently opposed to his policy in Iraq.
The protesters were addressed by a number of figures including St Patrick's Cathedral Dean Robert McCarthy and the Green Party's John Gormley. Prior to the demonstration, the organisers had been banned from taking out radio ads or erecting posters in the city to highlight the event. Some of those with banners took a light-hearted approach in their opposition to the visit.
One middle-aged man carried a humorous hand-written placard that read: "Mr Bush, my daughter is terribly sorry she couldn't make it to the protest."
- Tom Bradyand Eugene Moloney
