Hundreds expected at Dublin May Day protest

Hundreds of activists are expected to gather this afternoon outside the Irish Stock Exchange as part of the global May Day anti-capitalist protests.

The rally has been organised by Globalise Resistance, a loose network linking activists from throughout Ireland who are concerned with the effects of globalisation, such as Third World debt, corporate takeovers, the proliferation of sweatshops and environmental issues.

According to Ms Grace Lally of Globalise Resistance, they have chosen to demonstrate outside Dublin’s Stock Exchange because "stock exchanges are symbolic of the corporate greed which is destroying our future and our planet."

"We see this protest as part of the international movement that began in Seattle and spread across the world to Prague and Nice to challenge corporate globalisation," she added.

May 1st is celebrated around the world as International Worker’s Day, and rallies in cities around the world have grown in recent years, with thousands protesting today in cities in Australia, Russia, the Far East, Africa, Europe andthe US. Such protests have been marred in the past by violence, particularly in London, where up to 6,000 police have been mobilised today in anticipation of unrest.

A garda spokeswoman said that while a number of extra gardaí will be deployed in Dublin today,as with any other similar public demonstration, no major disorder is expected.

The Galway branch of Globalise Resistance are planning tohold their own event on Monday, May 7th in Eyre Square, themed "People and Planet, Our world is not for sale!".

The event is expected to be attended by a broad group of environmentalists - including the Galway Anti-Incinerator Campaign,women's groups, socialists, trade unionists, Travellers, refugees, asylum seekers, and their support groups.