The Irish Times actually reported on the Dublin march in today's issue, though they cite 600 as the number, which is probably a police estimate, organisers cited 1,200, so I'd say there was about 900-1,000 or so. Still, its a far cry from the 120,000 we had on Feb 15th 2003:



600 attend Dublin protest over war in Iraq
Irish Times

Eight members of the Oireachtas led a protest march through Dublin at the weekend to mark the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The protest, which was entirely peaceful, concluded with a rally outside the GPO. Part of a "Global Day of Protest against War and Occupation", the march was led by seven Dáil deputies, one senator and a member of Dublin City Council.

It started in Parnell Square and proceeded through O'Connell Street to College Green on a cold Saturday afternoon before turning back towards the GPO.

The leading group included Michael D. Higgins and Joe Costello, of Labour, Sinn Féin's Aengus Ó Snodaigh, John Gormley of the Greens, Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party, Independent TDs Tony Gregory and Finian McGrath, TCD Senator David Norris and Independent Socialist member of Dublin City Council Joan Collins.

The march was preceded by two Garda vehicles, including a van with a camera on top, pointed at the crowd. There were contingents from the Labour Party and Labour Youth, the Socialist Workers' Party, the Communist Party of Ireland and the Socialist Party, among others. About 600 people chanted anti-war slogans, except for a small group of anarchists, who shouted "We support the Dublin riot", a reference to the disturbances in the city on February 25th. These demonstrators went off in the direction of Leinster House as the march turned back for the GPO.

Green Party foreign affairs spokesman Mr Gormley said opponents of the war had been vindicated by the events of the past three years. "We said this war would be counter-productive, and far from stopping terrorism, it would swell the ranks of al-Qaeda."

Labour spokesman on foreign affairs Mr Higgins said that those who did not speak out were guilty of collusion and were morally on the same side in this illegal war. "That is why we have to stop the use of Shannon for illegal purposes," he said. "We don't want the CIA flights in Shannon."

SIPTU president Jack O'Connor said: "This occupation has nothing whatsoever to do with democracy and everything to do with oil."

Mr Ó Snodaigh said that US troops were still using Shannon, adding: "We demand that this government end that practice." He also called for an end to the European Union's "preferential" treatment of Israel, which he said was "an absolute disgrace".

Regional secretary of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union Michael O'Reilly said: "The trade union movement is absolutely opposed to this war and has been from the beginning." The war was supposed to be a short one but US and British troops were "bogged down" in Iraq.

Mr Norris said it was an "anniversary of shame", adding that the war was "illegal, immoral and unjustifiable". Opponents of the war were called anti-American, but 70 per cent of people in the US were also against it.

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins said that the shamrock the Taoiseach presented to the US president last week "should have been sprayed with red dye" to remind both Mr Bush and Mr Ahern of their complicity in the suffering of the Iraqi people.

Chief march organiser Richard Boyd Barrett, of the Irish Anti- War Movement, urged support for another international day of protest outside US embassies, planned for April 29th.

The movement issued a statement signed by over 100 politicians and other public figures, including 41 Labour, Sinn Féin, Green and Independent members of the Oireachtas, appealing to the Irish Government to "act urgently to end the slaughter in Iraq and to avert the threat of further slaughter in Iran and elsewhere".