Anarchism and the European Union

What's wrong with the EU PDF pamphlet on the European Union which outlines the problems with the direction it has taken. Articles include What's wrong with the European Union? The neoliberal agenda at the heart of the EU Fortress Europe The EU, militarism and Ireland The libertarian alternative to the bosses Europe

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Articles on the EU Bertie's European Act Over the next six months you will be hearing a lot about the European Union (EU). Part of the reason for this is that Ireland is taking over 'The Presidency' of the EU, but the other part is that in June elections will be held for the European 'parliament' in Brussels. The globalisation we demand Has it ever struck you as a little odd that the same governments that claim to stand for globalisation are busy erecting expensive fences along their borders to keep people out? EU, Globalisation and the Seville Protests How the EU is a motor for globalisation and how its decision effect Irish workers. Sweatshops, unions and Fortress Europe The EU is continuing the exploitation of the people of North Africa through creating a special trade zone of some of the North African countries similar to the free trades zones North America has created in Mexico. Murdered by Fortress Europe The discovery of the bodies of 8 asylum seekers in a container in Wexford in late November shocked everyone. For those concerned with the plight of asylum seekers the deaths were not only a disaster waiting to happen but just the latest instalment in an ever grosser tale of human misery and exploitation EU, Globalisation and the Seville Protests How the EU is a motor for globalisation and how its decision effect Irish workers. Drowned, suffocated and beaten to death - 'Fortress Europe' - legalised murder [2000] These are the victims of 'Fortress Europe' - the human cost of a policy which places the needs of capital over the rights of people. In fact over 2063 people have died in and around the European Union since 1993 as a result of the anti-refugee policies of governments across Europe. The Euro: the root of all evil? It makes no sense for us to oppose the EU on the basis of some sort of return to national sovereignty. Rather we must look for ways to create our globalisation agenda out of the process. The protests at the European Summits are proving one way of doing this Nice treaty - we prepared a number of detailed studies on the Nice treaty. As this was passed these problems are now part of the EU The Nice Treaty and globalisation A look at the corporate agenda behing the Nice treaty and in particular at Article 133 The Nice treaty and the extension of police powers Given the growing spying by EU police on globalisation activists and the oppression of immigrants the is reason to be concerned by the extension of police power in Nice The Nice treaty, the EU, militarism and Ireland The Nice treaty provides for the non-NATO EU states into the military alliance by transferral of defence responsibilities, including 'peacemaking', from NATO's WEU to the EU Fortress Europe and the effects of the Nice Treaty If the Nice treaty is passed decisions to impose sanctions on third world countries if they refused to cooperate with "migrant management", would have to be accepted by all member states once agreed by the European Council by qualified majority. A bosses Europe or an anarchist Europe? The Nice treaty offers us a bosses Europe, we want an anarchist Europe Nice the EU and Nationalism We desire a global world where national boundaries are of as little relevance as parish boundaries today. We oppose all forms of nationalism that try and set the people of one country above the people of another. The Celtic Tiger ... who's doing the roaring [1998] A look at the role of the EU in the Celtic Tiger economy. The cost of MEP's The cost to the public for each sitting MEP for one year is in the order of ¤1,300.000 Agricultural subsidies 2 dollars 20 per cow per day 15 wealthiest cereal farmers in the European Union were made even riched in 1998

Ads for and reports on protests Dublin Castle. , EU asylum strategy committee, March 4 "No Borders, No Nations" - Street Theatre The EU circus is rolling into Dublin Castle again, this time for a high-level working meeting of the "Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers, and Asylum" (SCIFA). Dublin castle, Art. 133 comm., Feb 20 Article 133 Protest Organised by SWP, Dublin Castle 1pm Fri 20th Feb Dublin, Justice ministers, Jan "The six month insurrection begins here!" - Anarchists perform "No Justice No Peace" street theatre Indymedia journalist assaulted on Dame St Gardai remove indymedia journalist to prevent him filming justice ministers leaving Galway 16/17 Jan, employment/social affairs Protests Greet EU Ministers in Galway Reports of protests during meeting of employment/social affairs ministers in a city-centre hotel [photos] [video] A failed opportunity on the streets of Galway Critique of the lack of action at the Galway protest Statement from Eoin Rice Regarding A Beating For Free Speech Eoin, a well known anti-war activist, was arrested and beaten by secret police (called 'Special Branch' in Ireland) for talking to a Dutch EU delegate on a tour of Galway [ Interview with Eoin Rice] [Eoin reports on video] [Eoin was imprisoned] Photographs of the trouble makers in Galway Photos of secret police at the Galway demonstration. Dublin Castle Jan 6th First protest Protest outside Dublin Castle on the first high level meetings of the EU since Ireland assumed the presidency Opposition groups Grassroots Gathering Broad libertarian network that meets every 6 months or so in different cities around Ireland. Organised direct actions against the war at Shannon airport. All the Irish anarchist groups including the WSM are involved in this. Earrach/Samhradh 2004 A Dublin anarchists web site set up to act as an information point for anti-capitalists, anarchists, libertarians, autonomous individuals, and grassroots activists who are interested in co-ordinating demonstrations, actions, and events during the six month term of the EU presidency in Ireland. DAPSE - Democracy and Public Services in Europe Group "DAPSE was formed after a workshop on the GATS at the Irish Social Forum in October 2003. It is a non-aligned campaign group" Another Europe Is Possible Set up by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The Irish SWP are part of the IST so many peope elsewhere will be familar with their methods. The have the start of a website up   PDF poster for you to print out

The 2004 Dublin EU summit Mayday protests

May 1st - The long march on Farmleigh
In terms of the development of a libertarian movement in Ireland the march on the EU summit at Farmleigh will probably be seen as a turning point. For the first time the movement mobilized large number of people from outside its own ranks, in a demonstration that was in direct defiance of the Irish governments attempt to ban such demonstrations.

May 19 - Court report on Mayday protest arrestee
Once again, this morning I found myself in another courthouse. It's the nature of our politics, that we are constantly on collision course with the authorities in whatever land we find ourselves.

May - The Clash of the Two Europes
According to the press, on Mayday there was going to happen a huge clash between the "forces of order" -riot police- and the "forces of evil" -sinister anarchists coming down from London to gas to death innocent Dubliners

 Mayday Mayday
EU leaders in the castle - we'll take the streets. On Saturday, the first of May, anarchists and other activists from the Dublin Grassroots Network are calling for a day of action and protest against the EU.

Gardai harassment of Mayday protest leafleting continues
Over the last week the Gardai have repeatedly turned up on occasions where the Dublin Grassroots Network has been attempting ton inform the public about the Mayday protests.

 An anarchist response to Ireland on Sunday
Feb 8th, Ireland on Sunday published a scare story about anarchism and the forthcoming EU protests. This is a reply

• What's wrong with the European Union?
  The EU is one of the motors of capitalist globalisation, the rule that all decisions should be made on the basis of profitability alone.
• The neoliberal agenda at the heart of the EU
  EU decisions are driven not by the needs of the people of Europe but by the wishes of the European based corporations. These corporations produce drafts that are later turned into EU policy
• Fortress Europe
  Increased integration of EU asylum and immigration policy. One of the first steps towards the creation of Fortress Europe was the Schengen Agreement which was originally signed in 1985 by five EU states
• The EU, militarism and Ireland
  The story of the European Union and militarism goes back as far as 1955 when the Western European Union (WEU) was formed. This was the main avenue for joint European security efforts and was closely tied to NATO
• The libertarian alternative to the bosses Europe
  For us, the libertarians, these struggles are not a means to conquer the power of others. For us, these struggles are a means to radically change society. Instead of power, we want freedom; instead of privilege, we want justice.

Go directly to the site for the EU summit protests in Dublin over Mayday EUfortress say no to Fortress Europe, protest in Dublin at the Mayday No Borders weekend 2004

Useful information for people coming to Ireland for the protests Earrach/Samhradh 2004 An anarchist site which includes travel details and accommodation contact points The official Irish presidency site All wrapped up and made pretty by the southern Irish government The Lisbon Strategy The Lisbon Agenda specifically targets "gas, electricity, postal services and transport" for privitisation. The Irish governments official EU website declares "The Lisbon strategy is a major priority for the Irish Presidency" Maps of Ireland "Because information wants to be truly free' IrishAnarchism Email list run jointly by members of all the anarchist organisation in Ireland and which most Irish anarchists are on.

More (off site) articles on the EU Why does Article 133 matter? Bin Collection, Aer Rianta, An Post, CIE, FAS, Bord Failte, ESB - all of these bodies have their futures discussed at the Article 133 meetings. When we want to know what's behind 25% of bus routes being introduced, or the push behind service charges we HAVE to think about these meetings Why are Article 133 Committee meetings not made public? International trade negotiations affect all aspects of our lives, and are therefore a matter of public interest. We think they should be open to scrutiny by citizens and public representatives alike

Previous Protest and campaign reports

Report of EU summit Copenhagen protests
In December protests were held at the EU summit in Copenhagen

The Seville 2002 EU summit protests [with photos]
An Irish anarchist reports from the European Summit protests in Seville

From Barcelona to Seville
Time was when an EU summit was every leader's wet dream. But not any more. The EU summit in Barcelona over the 9 to the 16 of March saw between 250,000 and 600,000 people take to the streets!

The media coverage of the Nice treaty demonstrations
You may remember the news being dominated for several nights by coverage of the European Summit in Nice. An endless stream of politicians and political experts offered us their opinions on what new voting arrangements might be introduced. You might even be aware that there was some opposition on the streets of Nice to the summit, on December 7th most TV news items started with brief footage of a bank being set on fire

Battle starts outside European summit in Nice [In French] [In Italian]
Mainstream press sites and the wire services are carrying reports that battles have broken out between the protesters in Nice and the riot police guarding the European Summit.

Libertarians Against Nice treaty
LAN fought the campaign on many fronts. From Limerick to Louth, Kinsale to Kildare, Dundalk to Donegal the battle raged. Even in Dublin we put up a fight. 50,000 (count 'em) leaflets were distributed, hundreds of posters of various types went up.

'Libertarians against Nice' launched
LAN is a network of groups and individuals across Ireland campaigning against the Nice treaty from a libertarian perspective

Fighting Nice and Getting involved (report on 1st referendum)
The ruling class got an almighty slap in the face when we voted to reject the Nice Treaty. The Workers Solidarity Movement and other anarchists campaigned for a 'no' vote

The unemployed are on the march [1997]
A European March against Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Exclusion has been called by a wide coalition of unions, unemployed and political groups. Eleven separate legs of the march will arrive in the centre of Amsterdam on the afternoon of June 14th, to coincide with a European Union Inter-governmental Conference

Vote No to Maastricht [1992]
"Fortress Europe" seeks to unite the European bosses and workers against the peoples of the rest of the world. Integration means a tightening of immigration controls. The Maastricht treaty in particular covers two other things besides monetary union. It is these that determine how we will vote. These are the questions of European defence and the Protocol.

Related articles

The Social Forums: Abandon or Contaminate?
The social forums can be stage-managed election and recruitment platforms for authoritarians and reformists. At the same time the social forums have attracted hundreds of thousands of people seeking a way to change the world we live in

Why all the fuss about Aer Rianta?
The state company which runs Cork, Dublin and Shannon airports is to be broken up if the government get their way.

Bosses want to privatise buses and trains
The FF/PD coalition are pushing ahead with plans to privatise buses and trains. Should we worry, does it matter who the boss is?

Restructuring and resistance: Diverse voices of struggle in western Europe
This is an inspired book that succeeds in explaining why many people in western Europe are opposing capitalist globalisation. It does this by doing what the mainstream media will not, giving them a voice.

Massive strike shakes Denmark [1998]
The end of April and the start of May saw a massive strike wave in Denmark. Almost half a million workers went on strike, including almost all industrial workers and most workers in transport and building.

French Workers Take on their bosses [1996]
The strike wave that rocked France in the closing month of 1995 is yet another example of the great fighting spirit of the French working class. Yet when we look at the causes of the strike and the relative weakness of French workplace organisation the question that emerges is 'if they can do it, why can't we'?

Can we take on the multinationals? [1995]
How do we deal with powerful multinational firms who often have an international income greater than the Irish government? If we end up having to strike they can often pack their bags and move to another country; where they will receive another round of tax breaks, free workforce training and preferential treatment.

TEAM workers told not to expect a decent job [1994]
The causes of the job cuts and attacks on workers conditions in TEAM are international. They come about as a result of European integration and the drive for the various European airlines to be merged into a few super airlines.

Aer France Workers show the way [1994]
Workers in both France and Ireland were told they would have to accept redundancies and worsening working conditions for the sake of the company. In Ireland it's called the Cahill plan, in France it was the Attali plan.

French show how to fight... and win! [1994]
Edouard Balladur and his government have been in retreat over the last six months as the people of France take to the streets to demonstrate their anger at new policies.