Archive for the ‘Fortress Europe’ Category
Russian and Ukrainian activists silenced at Greek MeRA 25 party event – Tankie Politics in Action
A shameful story from Athens – source : https://freedomnews.org.uk/2023/03/10/russian-and-ukrainian-activists-silenced-at-mera25-event/ also : https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article65987; also
Russian activist Artem Temirov writes on what he sees as a concerning trend within the Hellenic left to fall into a knee-jerk “anti-imperialism” that is in fact anything but.
Author’s note: A significant part of the Greek Left for a very long time has been plagued by narrow anti-Americanism that has replaced genuine anti-imperialism. As a result of that even supposedly more moderate voices on the Left often fell in the trap of siding, even if in a subtle way, with regimes that supposedly oppose the West, regardless of how authoritarian and oppressive they might be. This has created an increasingly widening gap between this Greek Left current and leftist dissidents that come from countries whose governments are perceived by the former as “anti-imperialist”. It seems that the former are disinterested in listening to those who have come to seek refuge and avoid arrest and torture. There have even been recorded cases of representatives of the more hard-line pro-Putinist Left in Greece physically attacked an Iranian refugee at a public event, because the latter protested the pro-Putinist, pro-Mullah propaganda he was hearing. The case presented below, if much milder in regards the confrontation, represents continuation in this worrying trend of Greek leftists refusing to listen to the voices of those who have lived under the boot of supposed “anti-imperialist” regimes. This comes to indicate an ideological dogmatism, as well as a loss in trust in the abilities of common people to self-organize and initiate from below revolutionary change. In the imaginary of such leftists greater hope for social change is placed not on the potentials of popular self-determination and self-emancipation, but on foreign geopolitical powers. This must be perceived as drastic counter-revolutionary regression towards Stalinist type of thinking that can only nurture authoritarian logics.
Last year, my wife and I arrived in Greece. While I am a Russian citizen, my wife is a citizen of Ukraine. She left Kyiv a week after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and I left Russia a few days later because it became dangerous to stay there with an anti-war position, with both us always holding left-wing and antifascist positions. In Greece, we are living under a temporary protection program for Ukrainian families.
Read the rest of this entry »Ukraine and Ireland – International Women’s Day 2023, Dublin
An Irish Left With Ukraine contingent attended a Dublin International Women’s March from the Spire (O’Connell Street) to Dáil Éireann in Kildare Street. Free Russians Ireland and Women-Life-Freedom (Iran) were also present at the event, which was called by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) and the socialist-feminist organization ROSA.
About 700 people – mainly young women from many different parts of the globe – participated.
Ukrainian women and the racist genocidal Russian invasion were barely mentioned by the platform speakers. Here are some photos :






Have British Tories Thrown Jeffrey Donaldson’s Democratic Unionist party to the Wolves? Is the”Windsor Framework” the “NI Protocol” in Different Clothes?
Readers may wonder :
Has British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thrown the Democratic Unionist party of British-occupied Ireland to the wolves? Early indications suggest the answer is Yes.
The cause? Brexit.
Sunak’s former boss Boris Johnson’s negotiated a 2019 “Oven Ready Brexit” which featured the “Northern Ireland Protocol” (NIP) in 2019. This facilitated a landslide Tory General Election victory in December of that year. Things were different in the six-county bit of Ireland (Northern Ireland) and Scotland. In both of these locations, the Brexiteer forces were soundly rejected by the voters. Sunak now claims the NIP has been replaced by the “Windsor Framework”.
Establishment media outlets are ecstatic, claiming the Third British Brexit Prime Minister of 2021 has “Done the Impossible”
https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/02/28/windsor-framework-brexit-deal-what-the-papers-say/
There is one significant dissenting note, which is almost certainly closer to the truth. It comes from the outstanding British Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell :
Read the rest of this entry »“We condemn the hatred expressed towards people seeking refuge and seeking asylum” March with Le Chéile, February 18, Parnell Square Dublin, 1.30pm
John Lyons, am Independent Left Dublin City Councillor representing Artane/Whitehall, is supporting the Le Chéile Ireland for All Solidarity march at Dublin’s Parnell Square on February 18 at 1.30pm. John’ report is below. Irish Left With Ukraine is one of many organisations supporting this anti-racist mobilisation.
Over recent weeks there have been protests in the area targeting people seeking refuge in Ireland. It has been sad to see and it consequences can be traumatic for those directly targeted and can further disadvantage all our efforts to fight for a better Ireland for all as we can only secure housing for all, a better health service, more community, sports & social funding if we are united, not divided.

This country is extremely wealthy but we have a problem: the political class led by Fine Gael & Fianna Fail care only for the better off & wealthy.
They don’t care about our families, our communities.
Read the rest of this entry »“Well, 4 of us protested against the far right this afternoon – It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising” – A FÓRSA trade union official, Andy Pike, was in Parnell Square, Saturday 4.2.2023
Well, 4 of us protested against the far right this afternoon Lots of abuse from some but more support from passers by. We at least made a point. @forsa_union_ie @apike1.

It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising. Over 200 abusive comments as well. Going to keep those comments open just to allow them to disgrace themselves even more. Keep it coming, you only show yourselves up for what you are #IrelandForAll
It’s now got around 85 thousand views and rising. Over 200 abusive comments as well. Going to keep those comments open just to allow them to disgrace themselves even more. Keep it coming, you only show yourselves up for what you are #IrelandForAll
Surprised a picture of 4 folk with a tatty banner and home made placards has 50k views. Its attracted so much abuse we are more convinced than ever of the need to support Refugees. That’s why we will be supporting @LeCheileDND 1.30 at the GPO tomorrow so do come along if you can twitter.com/apike1/status/…






The Irish Times published this Una Mullally report on Monday February 6 2023 :


Stand Against Racism – Solidarity With Refugees – Dublin, GPO, Monday February 6, 1.30pm – Called by Le Chëile – Diversity Not Division

We call on all our comrades to come out in a show of peaceful and determined solidarity, to stand with our refugee and migrant communities with love and compassion on Monday 6th February at 1.30pm at the Spire to oppose the latest iteration of anti-refugee hate.
Demonstrations have been called claiming to represent communities in Ireland under various slogans such as “Ireland is full” or “Ireland says no”. We know that Ireland is not full. The population is millions less than pre-famine times. There are many thousands of housing units and buildings laying empty across the country. Successive neoliberal governments have failed the Irish people, and particularly its homeless population, for years. In doing so, they have also failed refugees and migrants who have come to our shores. The Direct Provision system is a crime and many migrants are homeless.
It is undeniable that many of those involved in these demonstrations are using the language of the far right, of virulent racism, of hateful xenophobia. Violence is threatened against refugees and migrants simply due to the colour of their skin and their countries of origin. A migrant camp was violently attacked. Direct provision centres are targeted. Social media is awash with hate and vitriol, all based on ignorance and prejudice. Misleading and fact-free slogans and tropes are circulated and accepted as fact when they are simply a tissue of lies. We cannot sit back and hope that this awful period in our history passes. Many of us are working in our communities trying to counteract this misinformed narrative but whilst that slow and painstaking work continues, our refugee and migrant communities are in danger now – and they do not see that work being done in communities. They see crowds gathered outside hotels and refugee centres screaming “get them out”. That is not expressing reasonable concern. That is blatant intimidation. Anger at the government should be directed at the door of the government, where it rightfully belongs, and not at the door of those who have had no part to play in the immiseration of communities across the country.
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