Most of the time they are – the occupy movement , shell2sea , the stdent fees protests in dublin – look up the news and the stories of abuse and violence far outnumber any positive reflection on them.

Common theme seems to be invalidate all protests,regardless of reason for same.As for RTE just the propaganda wing of whatever party/parties that happen to be in government.

Why do people act like RTE is this big/influential news organization? They are state-owned and only matter in Ireland. RTE also like to make themselves appear like they are this big news corporation that is really influential or something. With all their stories about RTE fined this, or RTE did this, or RTE cuts this. Like no one cares about RTE they are not like Newscorp, Time Warner, Disney, or even close to BBC which is state-owned. The station really needs to be reformed, improved, and expanded; it’s so dull and boring. We need an actual Irish Media company to launch an Irish 24 Hours news channel or something. TV3 doesn’t count or TV whatever since they are not actually Irish owned.

Or Kevin we could have a channel which reports the news relevent to Irish people without the government biais.Lot of stories recently of happenings in the EU not making it to the news desk in RTE.Remember not everyone is online or has Sky.

I understand. But RTE does not favor Fine Gael or centre-right politics. Most state-owned news corporations lean towards the left for some reason. BBC and NPR (United States) both lean left. I came across all these comments by Orange Order nut jobs on FB who were ranting about the BBC because they claim they are “Republican/Sinn Fein “sc*m”. It’s like WHAT are they smoking? DUP politicians also blast the BBC as one-sided. Which to us sounds so ridiculous/absurd. They were only mad at the BBC because they were fair in their coverage and showed the terror/violence that Loyalists/Orange Order members had caused.

Wow Kevin!
The truth as it should be. I congrats you on the use of language that truthfully describes the position we are in regardless of the jackasses who have an alternative political objective.

Austerity is a form of violence too.

Ireland’s paying everyone’s debts.

Thanks, Paddy. People clearly don’t like to take a middle ground or hear the truth. Anti-Capitalism/Anarchy lost its support in America after the Wall Street Bombing, Los Angeles Times bombing, and the Anarchist bombings of 1919. Which killed innocent people not big corporate CEO’S or greedy bank people. Simply terrorism. Sadly there movement is growing once again and is very dangerous. Bailing out banks and funding unnecessary wars (Iraq) is not Capitalist/less government it is the complete opposite. The Republican Party in the US likes to claim they are for Capitalism that is not entirely true. We of course know the Democratic Party are not anywhere near Capitalist they are the complete opposite. Libertarians are the real-Capitalists, you know the people that are ignored by the far-left and far-right. The problem is many people (whether left or right) want the benefits of Capitalism and Socialism; it doesn’t work that way and it can’t work successfully that way either. Many left-wing people like to quote John F. Kennedy or claim him as their own. Who blew out John F. Kennedy’s brain? Lee Harvey Oswald the guy who was pro-Soviet, pro-Castro, and pro-Socialism/Communism. John F. Kennedy was anti-Communist/Socialist, anti-Castro, anti-war and anti-Soviet. Who shot Robert F. Kennedy? Sirhan Sirhan a Palestinian shot RFK for his support of the Israeli state. Yet so many pro-Palestine people like to quote the Kennedys, etc. Would the Kennedy’s like all these people using their names for these so-called “causes”.

Paul did you ever think Fianna Fail’s policies of giving free housing, free education, and free everything has something to do with Ireland’s debt? How is Ireland paying for “everybody” else? The Banks also should have been regulated not just bailed out; which Fianna Fail did. I found the London Riots very interesting. Most of the people who were “protesting” = stealing, vandalizing, robbing, killing, and terrorizing; lived in government funded housing. The culture of entitlement has been nothing but a disaster. Of course it would be nice that everybody can be rich, successful, and have a comfortable life. But which planet would that work on?

You’re half right Kevin.

But here’s the deal with “everybody’s debts”. If we have to pay for unsecured bondholders I’m sure they won’t mind sending back all the profits they made during the “good years”. Fair’s fair, right?

It’s not fair to compare Ireland to Greece though. Life has gotten harder here, but it’s still quite good. There’s no lack of food, healthcare or education. There’s an obvious path to economic growth, even if we’re not there right now.

It’s different in Greece. If you’re struggling in Greece, it’s because you have nothing. Welfare payments for the unemployed is time-restricted. After that you’re on your own. You have to scavenge or grow your own food to survive. The lack of circulating money means business are shrinking and closing, which leads to more unemployment. All the while, borrowed billions from central Europe is used to pay off debts to central Europe. There’s no way out of that. No obvious path the economic recovery.

There’s an inherent unfairness to socializing debt, I accept. But if the alternative is to say “f*ck it” and go the way of Greece, I’d rather swallow the injustice. Then it’s about getting a better deal and making that path as short and painless as possible.

That said, if the government were selling the State assets to bail out billionaires while my family and I starve, I’d be firebombing the police too. They’re protecting the State as it destroys the lives of the citizens.

@ Censored – I agree. The problem is these bail-outs in Ireland have not been on the people’s terms, proper conditions, and they have not prosecuted criminals in fancy suits. All these executives in the Irish Banks, bonuses should have been returned (not even issued in the first place regardless of what their package was) and be used for bailing out the bank. If someone is the CEO/Chairman of an institution that is on the brink of collapse/failure (and is going to be bailed out by the people) they should not be getting a 30 million Euro bonus on their leave that is absurd. I am personally against bail-outs but in Ireland’s case a bail-out is necessary because Ireland is too small and the majority of Irish people hold accounts with BOI and AIB. The effects of letting them fail would be worse.

@Jay K – Oh no, I was not at all comparing Ireland to Greece. The overwhelming majority of Irish people have been more focused on finding solutions rather than throwing petrol bombs at police and constantly rejecting/protesting everything being brought forward. Ireland has been doing everything it possibly can and will return to the markets soon. I agree there is a lot of injustice but it comes down to being practical as you said. Greed will always screw/hurt the people/economy over and over again; but greed is what the world runs on and is very important. I agree with Laissez Faire. But it comes down to the government and how they handle bail-outs, banks, and these crises. If parties like Fianna Fail or Sinn Fein had taken control of the government in 2011 it would have been a disaster. But Sinn Fein have made a number of good points in relation to the banks but they get to self-righteous/unrealistic/overboard.

@kevin I never knew you were a Kilkenny man , fennelly a good Kilkenny name up the cats Kilkenny for the all Ireland on Sunday .

@John – My mothers maiden name is Fennelly were from Westcourt which is right by Callan. We’re a Kilkenny/Tipperary family. Are you from Kilkenny?! I don’t really follow Irish sport, I’m clueless on the events. I visit Kilkenny every year since my grandmother is still there.

What a silly statement.
You’re saying that policemen thought petrol bombs at policemen to give protesters a bad name?
What did they do after, did they all meet up at the station and slap each others backs?

When writing comedies, yes.

Danny, I said to consider it and not that it is the truth. I also never said it was the police that would do it to their own. If it happens, it could be hired thugs, secret service type agencies, and so on. It certainly detracts from the protest and serves the powers that be. I wouldn’t think they’d consider the unfortunate police anything more than acceptable collateral damage.

@ognetty i said the same thing yesterday & got the usual bs responses from establishment trolls.agent provacateurs are often used in protests.

it’s happened before…
http://www.thebiggestsecret.org/forum-en/viewtopic.php?t=2405&sid=bfcf20dbc240b6fde0486de2804218aa

It doesnt mean ill go out and attempt to murder a load of gardai , the logic used here is almost as insane as the marxist propoganda most of these thugs cling to.

So you think its ok to attempt to murder Gardai then as part of a protest?

Well said, Lucille.

Anti austerity / occupy protests just seem to be an excuse for lowlife thugs to come out and attack police en mass . Shameful behaviour by all of them from spain to greece and everywhere else

Don’t stereotype all the protesters because of the actions of a minute few. I see RTE were quick to jump on the protests in Greece but not one mention of the police brutality in Madrid last night. Pretty soon Sean ur gonna realise ur batting for the wrong side cause for many in Europe this is turning into a battle for survival.

6th October… Bring a whistle

well said derek.wait till people lose everything & their back is to the wall & can hardly feed themselves or their family.politicians & bankers will be fair game for desperate people to attack.

Battle for survival, ha

Yes Ross, battle for survival. We think we have it bad here with our austerity measures. People in Greece are literally dying from hunger and serious cutbacks in their health service. So yes, they are literally fighting for their survival.

Having said that it still doesn’t justify the violence perpetrated on the security forces. They are simply doing their job.

It might be a battle for survival for many in Greece and Spain but your average joe soap is far better off here in Ireland.

Yes in Greece they are but that’s not the case here despite what people would like you to believe

@belly up yes we are thankfully for now but i wonder how long it will be on our current route till we are in a similar situation to spain & greece.

Grand Derek. a battle for survival. So how does setting fire to policemen and bank workers help you survive? Or even invading a government building. Tell me please how it helps you to survive and why citizens should support these acts of violence.

We might be better off at the moment the Greece & Spain but the IMF & ECB want to cut the social welfare so if that happens people will be fighting for their lives …

Protect citizens? Or …politicians who uphold the bankers?… I fully expect officers to protect AND serve the public citizens as their mandate dictates but when they charge head on into men and women with their shields and batons it boils my blood. Look at spain last night, police brutality in its purest form, this will be met with better planned out protests the next time as the protesters in Greece are equipping themselves as more and more protests are organised. Make no mistake, only a chicken with his head stuck in the sand cannot see what is happening all around us, revolution, if ever it was to happen is at its most potent level for many years. Let’s wait and see when the French kick off so we can sit here and say, the Greeks are wrong, the Spanish are wrong, the French are wrong…the Paddy is right I suppose sitting on his ass…..

Paddy I suggest you read up about communism and anarchism and come back later.

what don’t you have the stomach for that? You people are in dreamland there is another 12.5bn coming out of this shite hole of a country over the next 4 budgets, see how you feel after that .

It’s not a logical extension of what I said. I don’t and have never condoned violence against any person, at all.

A riot is a protest, it’s not a peaceful protest, but it doesn’t necessarily need to include gratuitous acts like the one outlined in this story.

What it is a logical extension of is peoples desperation and the fact that peaceful protests make no meaningful change whatsoever. If people aren’t listened to, and their concerns addressed; then their voices are going to get progressively louder.

Ah hold on a sec… Are we not assembling on the 6th? Break down in communication?

Squeezing Blood from a stone protest

Date: Saturday 6th October

Time: 13:00

Location: Leinster House

Enough is enough…

No more taxes until we’re back on our feet!

Tell Europe we need debt relief!

Tell Our government they work for Us!

We are being forced into debt to balance the governments books! What about Our books..

It will cost you nothing but could change everything!
Make a stand and be proud you tried to stop the Lunacy!

Or do not attend and moan and suffer slowly until you end up eventually having to make a stand for keeping a lot less, you know this process will continue until they meet an equal force!

STOP IT NOW.

Don’t continue to be a bystander.. .

Squeezing Blood from a stone protest

Date: Saturday 6th October

Time: 13:00

Location: Leinster House

Enough is enough…

No more taxes until we’re back on our feet!

Tell Europe we need debt relief!

Tell Our government they work for Us!

We are being forced into debt to balance the governments books! What about Our books..

It will cost you nothing but could change everything!
Make a stand and be proud you tried to stop the Lunacy!

Or do not attend and moan and suffer slowly until you end up eventually having to make a stand for keeping a lot less, you know this process will continue until they meet an equal force!

STOP IT NOW.

Don’t continue to be a bystander..

Apologies for the double post, phone is acting up.

Hope this isn’t posted twice..

More exclamation marks! Now!!

Hope it goes well though.

Oh yeah, Dec, the 6th.

So you aren’t all mouth and no trousers.

You can’t rob the knickers off a bare arse Damocles!

I haven’t a clue what you mean by that.

very witty :)

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