Dublin M3 Reclaim the Streets photos

After the street party a group of people from IMC Uk and Ireland went for drinks in a random Pub in Dublin. The first floor was quite empty, but while ordering a pint a lone man siting at the bar picked a conversation with one of us. It turned out he was a senior journalist form RTE (state television) that randomly (!) chose the same pub for a quite beer.

The conversation was limited, but he seemed genuinely upset about one of his camera crew being hit by a protester during the Saturday march. He could not understand why while (in his view) protests are about getting media attention, participants are so hostile to them. Generally he did not seem very much in touch with the issues, the groups and the modes of organisation of the movement. Even having been in the Staurday protest that was very calm aside from the confrontation at Phoenix Park, he accepted the stereotype that the masked up people (he called them the 'ninjas') could be capable of anything (yes, including releasing ricin gas). He was also convinced that they were the ones orchestrating the route of the march.

His last question was where the funding for the Indymedia center comes from.