Statement on the Irish government’s response to COVID-19 in Direct Provision – MASI
Irish State Racism in Action
The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland is appalled by the discriminatory response to the Covid19 pandemic in Direct Provision. On the 20th March 2020, MASI asked members of the public to email Minister Charlie Flanagan with a simple ask: protect asylum seekers in Direct Provision by ensuring that they are able observe all the Health Service Executive guidelines on social distancing and self isolation, particularly for asylum seekers 60 years of age or older, people with pre-existing health conditions, and asylum seekers in shared and crammed bedrooms, and other congregated gatherings such as canteens during meal times.
This is because asylum seekers around the country are following news and updates from the Health Service Executive on what measures they can take to protect themselves and people around them from the Covid19 pandemic. The guidelines were also posted on notice boards in Direct Provision centres and efforts were made to translate them into some foreign languages. However, the HSE posters on social distancing are useless to an asylum seeker sharing a tiny bedroom with a stranger or as many as 7 other strangers, having to use communal bathrooms and congregate in a canteen for meals 3 times a day. MASI was not surprised to learn that an asylum seeker in a hostel styled Direct Provision centre contracted the virus. We are pleased to hear that he is doing well.
— Read on www.masi.ie/2020/03/27/statement-on-the-irish-governments-response-to-covid-19-in-direct-provision/
Eleanor Finley Reports From Italy
This comes from a Facebook Site “Protect the People”. In Ireland, state policing of people’s movements is not so restrictive (yet); we can learn from Eleanor’s report.
Italy update: Ciao amici (hi friends). Life under lockdown here in the Friuli region is slowly evolving, so I thought I’d post another update. Normally, I try to keep things upbeat, but today is a little different. Here’s the latest:
- Escalated police presence: My husband Pierre went to add money to his phone today and a police checkpoint was at the end of our street taking temperatures and asking for papers. He also got pulled over at a checkpoint on the way home from his mom’s house yesterday (just doing her shopping, no direct contact). The whole “papers” requirement is strange because what if you don’t have a home printer? We sure don’t. So, basically, the police just ask where you are going and then allow you to leave. But one has to ask to what extent states can/are going to take advantage of these conditions and make temporary “security measures” permanent. FTP.
- Every day at about 4-5 pm, the protezione civile (national agency tasked with emergency management) drives through our neighborhood blaring orders to stay inside. I support staying inside obviously, but it’s not clear to me that this serves a purpose other than to scare people. I suppose that helps keep all of the hopelessly cavalier dummies inside but it also produces a sense of doom and foreboding.
Galway PBP 2020: time for clarity on the allegations or for moving on.
Guest post from Des Derwin
The suspension (and subsequent expulsion) by People Before Profit of its Galway West candidate on the day of the general election has been followed by accusations of dismissal of members’ complaints for long before that day, of exclusion of complainants since that day, and by discussion of the events and surrounding events on Facebook and Twitter. Now another left organisation, the Connolly Youth Movement, has taken it upon itself to enter the fray with a strong public statement (23rd March) supporting the woman at the centre of an assault allegation and criticizing the response and leadership of People Before Profit. And implicating a separate organisation (Solidarity-The Socialist Party) in the process.
A new thread on Facebook (25th March) about this was tagged to my timeline. So, in a way, involving me, a bit, publicly. I’m reluctant to add fuel to the Facebook fire, for reasons I hope are explained below. I have removed the tag. But not commenting at all would, I feel, amount to the type of polite silence that has accompanied allegations of abuse down the years. Maybe here might be a cooler and quieter place to say a few initial words.
Read the rest of this entry »All Out At Home, Thursday March 26 2020 Across Ireland for Health Workers
All Out, Thursday March 26, 8pm Tonight Across Ireland.
Well Done Brid Smith TD and Memet Uludag
I will play Bella Ciao from my IPAD – Other Suggestions! https://youtu.be/X5dGRM7Fw88
Also here https://youtu.be/nJTOD5jjac4
Prince Charles of Britain Has a Pox
Mike Finn Sympathises
Ciúin House Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim – Gombeen State Racism in Ireland
Donal O’Kelly’s article should be circulated far and wide – Action is Necessary.
Ciúin is a word I love. It’s the Irish word for quiet. It has a peaceful, secure and sleepy feel to it, ideal for a lullabye. Suantraí. Ciúin, ciúin, a stór .. as baby closes her eyes .
Last May I used my facebook page to highlight the fact that Ciúin House Carrick-on-Shannon, the then newly-opened emergency accommodation centre for asylum seekers, had just received 38 male international protection applicants who’d been transferred from Hatch Hall Direct Provision centre in Dublin. Hatch Hall was being converted into a luxury hotel. Ciúin House was accommodating these people on a general basis of two per room. It had a sign and a book in the reception hall that everyone had to sign. The sign said that all residents had to be in their rooms by 10pm nightly.
I met three of the residents on their second evening in Carrick-on-Shannon. I know about the curfew because the men, all in their thirties or thereabouts, wanted to get back to Ciúin House in case there was an unknown penalty for not observing the curfew. I dropped them back at 10pm sharp.
After the facebook post drew a lot of public attention, the curfew was dropped. The owners at first said it was a language misunderstanding, then that the note only referred to not using the washing machine after 10pm. It was neither of those things. It was a curfew. And the owners obviously considered they had a right to impose it.
Read the rest of this entry »
“There are no infallible party leaderships, or individual party leaders, party majorities, “Leninist” central committees” – and so on!
We can learn from history, we cannot change it.
Russia in the 1920’s was a one-Party State. The ruling Bolshevik Party banned internal oppositional currents. Different groups emerged opposing the party leadership centred around the dictator, Joseph Stalin.
On a smaller level today in Ireland, one-Faction “broader parties” – for example People Before Profit (ultimately controlled by the Socialist Workers’ Network) or Solidarity (ultimately controlled by the Socialist Party) – are a living contradiction. They are, because internal democracy is curtailed, bureaucratically deformed radical-left parties. RISE, originating from internal differences within Solidarity/Socialist Party, represents a serious effort to break free from the bureaucratically deformed model.
“Build a new mass left-wing party
“There is a desperate need for a mass political party of the left. Because of Sinn Féin’s acceptance of the capitalist market and its hesitancy to engage with people-power movements, it will not be that party.
“None of the existing radical left parties are likely to grow directly into that mass left party either. Instead, we need a left party that is anti-capitalist, anti-coalition and anti-oppression, while being open for different groups to organise within it. https://www.letusrise.ie/featured-articles/we-need-a-socialist-government
RISE and our TD, Paul Murphy, wants to work with others to build such a party. While fighting for every reform in the here and now, we are a revolutionary socialist group that sees the need to end the rule of the bosses and big corporations.”
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, most of the opposition currents were reluctant to put their differences in perspective, and unite against the common ruling enemy. Tragic consequences followed – the Stalin machine murdered and framed all its opponents in infamous 1930’s Moscow Show-Trials.
Victor Osprey highlights important efforts to do things differently
A view from Madrid during the crisis
From the Cedar Lounge Revolution Site : Jason O’Toole, well known in this parish, has a piece in the Mirror about the situation in Madrid where he’s currently based. Troubling is the word … Madrid is eerily like a ghost town since being put on a near-total lockdown nine days ago.
But the deafening silence has been broken every single night by Madrilenos – as locals are called – taking to their balconies at 8pm to applaud the doctors and nurses on the front lines saving lives.
It provides only light relief to Spain’s 47-million population is only allowed to leave home for work, buy food or visit the pharmacy.
A view from Madrid during the crisis
The story is dark. We also learn that every evening Madrilenos emerge from their homes to sing and chant, supporting each other and health workers battling the CoronaVirus. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-spain-balcony-sing/amid-coronavirus-blues-balcony-singer-helps-madrilenos-to-party-on-idUSKBN21723W
Another story from the Spanish State is very grim reading, and we should prepare ourselves for similar events in Ireland
“Spanish Military Finds Dead Bodies And Seniors ‘Completely Abandoned’ In Care Homes” https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/24/820711855/spanish-military-finds-dead-bodies-and-seniors-completely-abandoned-in-care-home
With more than 39,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,800 deaths as of Tuesday, Spain is the second hardest-hit country in Europe
Last week, one privately owned home in Madrid reported 20 deaths and 75 infections, claiming it didn’t have adequate material to take care of the sick residents and dead bodies.
Manu Fernandez/AP
“Keep Calm & Carry On” Johnson Tells Room Full Of Corpses – Waterford Whispers News
Close to British CoronaVirus Reality
EVOKING the daring-do of the great generation that survived World War II, but won’t survive him, Britain’s PM Boris Johnson delivered an impassioned speech to a room of corpses which contracted and subsequently died from Covid-19.
“Keep calm and carry on, ” Johnson bellowed, delighted with how the markets have ‘rallied’ and the pound has ‘jumped up’ in response to his government’s prioritising of profit over people these past two weeks.
Despite the cold and stark surroundings of a near capacity morgue, Johnson, encouraged by the lack of dissenting voices among his captive audience, continued his speech full of vim and vigour.
“We shall socialise on the beaches, we shall congregate en masse on the landing grounds, we shall get pissed in the fields and in the streets, we shall lie to the hilt; we shall never surrender to logic and the haunting pleas from kindhearted nations begging us to save our own people and not make the same mistakes they did.”
— Read on waterfordwhispersnews.com/2020/03/20/keep-calm-carry-on-johnson-tells-room-full-of-corpses/
Tomás Ó Flatharta 