A series of protests against NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia is being held throughout Ireland this week. The No To War Campaign has announced demonstrations in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Tralee, Limerick, Belfast and Derry. The group is holding a press conference today in Dublin where an eyewitness who has just returned from Belgrade, Mr Thomas Frayn, will speak against the NATO operation.
"The waves of western air strikes are killing civilians and will do nothing to help the plight of the people of Kosovo. In fact, they are strengthening the position of Milosevic," said Mr Frayn.
The Workers' Party is holding a separate demonstration today against the visit to Dublin of a senior NATO representative. Mr George Katsirdakis will be addressing a public meeting on NATO's Partnership for Peace, organised by the European Movement and due to be opened by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
The Communist Party of Ireland criticised the Government for not speaking out against the NATO operation. In a letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, the party's chairman, Mr Eugene McCartan, said "this independent action by NATO is undermining the United Nations. . .If our neutrality is to mean anything then it is time to end our silence on this aggression and return to diplomacy and negotiations."
The No To War Campaign is holding a demonstration on Thursday at 7 p.m. outside Dail Eireann. Speakers include Green Party MEP Ms Patricia McKenna, Dr John de Courcy Ireland and Mr Richard Boyd Barrett.
Agencies add: Thousands of people, many of them Serb emigrants, protested yesterday in cities across Europe, Australia and the United States against the NATO air raids on Yugoslavia. Clashes broke out in Paris where police fired tear gas at some 200 pro-Serb demonstrators who threw bottles and rocks at the US embassy. In Australia, police said some 6,000 Serbs rallied in Melbourne, 7,000 in Sydney and 400 in Canberra, burning US flags and pelting police with eggs.
