G8 news

Young people from Ireland are going to the G8

“I’m going to the G8 summit because I’m not happy with the way our money is spent. Instead of on guns and tanks to hurt people, it should be spent on aid and food to help people.”

James Wilkinson, a new member of Socialist Youth, expressed well the feelings of young people from Ireland travelling to the G8 summit.

Paul Murphy

We have received a very positive response in the North, where the opportunity to protest against Bush, Blair and Berlusconi is one not to be missed for many young people. So far, 11 people are booked to travel with us, and we are confident of filling the 19 places on our bus.

We have organised successful public meetings in Omagh, Enniskillen and Strabane on “Why you should protest at the G8”. We also took part in a Make Poverty History rally in Belfast, explaining why Bob Geldof and Gordon Brown were incapable of making poverty history and why there was a need for a socialist solution.

In the South we have met political young people eager to protest against world poverty, environmental destruction and war. We have organised stalls around the theme of “Make capitalism history – make socialism our future”.

By combining shocking statistics of world poverty and huge wealth, we have been able to convince people that they should protest with us at the G8 summit for a socialist alternative to the profit system. So far, 12 young people from the South are likely to make the trip in July, and we will be going all out over the next couple of weeks to try to increase that number.