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THOUSANDS OF ANTI-racism demonstrators flooded the streets of Boston yesterday, dwarfing a gathering of white nationalists in the city and triggering scuffles with police but avoiding the serious violence that marred a similar event a week earlier in Virginia.
A so-called “free speech” rally by far-right groups had been scheduled to run until 2pm (7pm Irish time), but a half-hour before that police escorted its participants, whose numbers appeared to be in the dozens, to safety past a throng of anti-racism protesters.
Officials estimated turnout of about 40,000 demonstrators. Authorities said there were 27 arrests, mostly for assault and battery against the police, and disorderly conduct.
Aerial photos showed counter-protesters filling one of Boston’s main streets for several blocks, in a huge outpouring of anti-racist sentiment in this strongly Democratic northeastern city.
While Boston saw no repeat of the violence that erupted last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, isolated scuffles between police and protesters prompted President Donald Trump to weigh in, with a tweet intoning against the “many anti-police agitators in Boston”.
But as protesters began departing central Boston without major incident later, he followed up with a more positive tone.
“I want to applaud the many protestors in Boston who are speaking out against bigotry and hate,” he tweeted.
“Our country will soon come together as one!”
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told a press conference that while there were people “who came here to cause problems”, authorities were able to maintain order and keep the two sides apart. He credited a unit specially trained for crowd control.
“I thought they did a good job of moving that crowd,” Evans said. “Sometimes it doesn’t look pretty, but that’s what they’re trained for.”
The demonstration was held at a time of anguished national debate over racial relations, which was fanned when Trump defended some participants in last week’s white nationalist and neo-Nazi rally in Virginia as “very fine people”.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who is Jewish, tweeted on Saturday night: “It was beautiful to see thousands of people across the USA come together today to peacefully denounce bigotry, racism & anti-Semitism. We must continue to come together, united as Americans!”
‘Racists out!’
Thousands of counter-protesters had convened in two groups before the main rally in Boston, chanting “No Nazis, no KKK, no fascists in the USA!” One man held a sign that read, “Stop pretending your racism is patriotism,” and a woman’s sign said, “Muslims welcome, racists out.”
“It’s time to do something,” said Katie Zipps, who traveled from Malden, north of Boston, for the counter-demonstrations, organized by an amalgam of mostly left-leaning groups.
“We are out here to add an extra body to add to the numbers of those who resist.”
Some local restaurants promised to donate their proceeds from Saturday to left-leaning groups, and others refused to serve the white nationalists, with one posting a sign that said: “Hope you Nazis packed a lunch.”
Authorities in Boston had protectively ordered a strict ban on weapons in the rally area, and ordered garbage trucks and concrete barriers placed around the venue to prevent vehicles from entering.
According to an AFP photographer at the scene, police in riot gear prevented counter-protesters from reaching the venue of the white nationalist rally – leading some to accuse police of defending “Nazis”.
Crowds booed or harassed “free speech” demonstrators as they walked to or from the venue, while Boston police tweeted that rocks had been thrown at its officers.
A young woman was killed last weekend when an avowed white supremacist rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville and President Trump’s muted response to the violence has plunged his embattled administration deeper into disarray.
Despite the skirmishes Saturday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh had words of praise at day’s end for the city’s police, and even for the protesters.
“I want to thank all the people that came out today,” the Democratic mayor said at the press conference.
I want to thank all the people that came out to share that message of love, not hate. To fight back on racism. To fight back on anti-Semitism. To fight back on the white supremacists that were coming to our city – the Nazis coming to our city.
The protest was one of several scheduled to take place across the United States this weekend.
An evening demonstration in Dallas, Texas drew about 2,500 people, mostly protesters rallying against racism and calling for the removal of memorials to leaders of the pro-slavery Confederacy during the US Civil War.
Though there were some confrontations, there were no arrests or injuries, the Dallas Morning News reported.
And in Atlanta, about 2,000 people marched peacefully from downtown to the tomb of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
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I work in admin/clerical and companies the sector I work in no longer employ people they are getting interns instead. These are companies who can well afford to hire but choosing interns. Very disheartening when you are looking out for a job or knowing that your boss knows he could replace you with an intern.
Yeah LinkedIn were looking for people on Jobbridge a couple of months ago. Big MNCs like them should not be allowed employ people on the scheme as they can more than afford to pay people are proper wage.
Job bridge is a complete scam which allows the abuse of an unemployed person for 9 months , the companies profiting from this scheme should be named shamed and boycotted . The other thing it contributes to is keeping skilled and educated people out of work by filling the position with a €50 euro a week worker .
Absolutely, it’s forcing skilled workers into underpaid, non unionised labour by threatening to cut their dole entirely.
Why the hell would companies hire full time workers when they get paid to take in interns for free! It’s a scam.
Not a huge fan of JobBridge myself Fiona, but I haven’t heard of a single case where someone was told that they had to do an internship or their SW payment would be cut off entirely. I don’t think that would even be legally possible. Care to expand?
I could be wrong, it might have been a different scheme as he was interviewed separate from the job he ended up working in, and then given a list of what he’d be interested in doing and then one was chosen for him, but I had a friend who was told that if he didn’t come for the interview he would be cut off, unless he could give a legitimate reason for not working.
Have a look at the story above about the DAA profits they also looked for jobbridge staff , very disappointing to see this another failed labour policy allowing the right to abuse workers .
3 out of 5 interns secured paid employment. . in australia.
I completed a 9month Internship in September I am still unemployed and it was a form of slave labour.
have to agree with u sarah..im still on job bridge and its a complete slave labour scheme.. only thing i like about it is i can say i worked for my money and at this stage it beats sitting at home. joan burton needs to enforce employment after a certain period of time. fellas i work with on it 3 years now and no sign of employment..
It was only launched in late Summer 2011. Someone couldn’t be on it for three years.
@Rory. There was already a Work Placement programme in place, its actually still going as well, main difference is you dont get an extra 50euro.
I’ve completed 6 out of 9 months of my internship & they have made at least 30% (probably more) of the workforce in the company redundant in that time. Not a chance I’ll be kept on. I really think that only companies that are willing to actually hire the intern after their 6/9 month placement should be allowed participate. I’m worried I’ll find myself in the same position as SarahB81 come August. Minimum experience for most jobs in this field is two years & I’ll only have 9 months.
Diarmuid Jobbridge has a max 9 month internship and then the employer cannot use the scheme again for a further 12 months. It must be a different scheme you were on for 3 years.
sorry john ur right ..its community employment scheme.. kinda the same thing tho!!!!!!
No it’s not
Can we get a list of the 15 companies so as informed consumers we can choose to take our business elsewhere?
Slave labour with a new face
Some one should inform the Pope about this JOBBRIDGE, he seems to have come out strongly against ‘slave labour’ and capitalism
“Bangladesh ‘slave labour’ condemned by Pope” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22370487#TWEET741265
The HSE abusing JobBridge. How are the people meant to get full time employment there after the 9 month period when there’s an employment embargo
Government sanctioned slave labour. Have a look on their site. They were looking for a “warehouse operative” intern and a “fish filleter” intern last week. I wish I was joking because if it were not so sad it would be hilarious
It is a pure scam! Have a read of some of the stories on http://www.scambridge.ie
Saw an internship for stockperson in an off licence. What exactly will you learn doing that job?
Ill admit there are some good internships but there is also a lot of companies looking to save money by hiring slave labour.
Zachary
You can’t argue with the sixty per cent and the Companies banned from the scheme which clearly shows its being managed properly.
Actually I can and the above example is a perfect indication of what some employers think of the internship program. Not all mind but some
I was one of those 3 that got a paid job at the end of my internship.
Job bridge is a joke. Loads of firms who would otherwise be hiring graduates for paid employment are churning through interns for 50 squid a week instead.
Christian the employer doesn’t even pay €50 a week.SW gives every Intern an extra €50 on top of there benefit a week to take up these positions.
Shocking
The tax payer pays that €50 the company pays zero.
wonder what percentage of newly unemployed have lost their jobs due to Joanies little slaves being brought into their workplace.
How many resources in the economy are we diverting to this quango??
If you lowered taxes and regulations on small business, you’d achieve much better results.
The broken glass fallacy is in the spotlight again…
I’ve seen spin but this beats all.
Do you even know what the term quango means or are you just saying it because it sounds fun? JobBridge is not a quango – it’s a scheme administered by the Department of Social Protection.
Propaganda wheel spinning on behalf of the Joan and Enda circus,
Delighted to say I am happily in fulltime employment with the company I spent my 9month placement with seems they are few and far between!!
This is pure lies I know for a fact it is pure lies. I work for a company that hired many but kept none and I know of many large companies that have done similar.
FG propaganda as usual.
It skews the live register in the governments favour also. Since interns and those in Solis courses aren’t documented under the live register, they can say that their keeping the unemployment rates steady but the true numbers are far higher than the 14% that they’re saying.
saw one on it a while ago offering..i shit you not”experience in the preparation of fuel,and bagging of same and customer service/sales”
yep,you guessed it,selling blocks door to door.
That’s another fine MESS you got us into Enda…….
I wonder how the full time employees who list their jobs to interns feel?
Another Astroturfing story.
I know a place where they had an Health & Safety position,a mate got the internship for 9 months and at end was told thank you very much and good luck…….now 4 weeks later they are looking for another intern in same dept,to do same job…..this company is a huge multi national,another advertisement I seen recently was for a forecourt attendant in a petrol station.
absolute bullshit from joan burton. i work with about 5 fellas on it.not one of us has got a job from it and some have served 3 years and have been told time is up soon that they will be gone.. 4 years down the drain to be unemployed again..sad to say but my advise to any1 is stay at home this is a scam unless u can really find a sound boss who is actually genuine enough to keep u on
Again Diarmuid the max length of a jobbridge internship is 9 months and the employer cannot re-apply to take a new intern on for a further 12 months. Maybe you are on another scheme. I hope you find work soon. It’s certainly tough out there.
thanks john ..I replied to ur other reply there ur ight..community employment scheme.. kinda the same thing.. thank you for your well wishes
Did nine months. Still looking for work. It’s a joke.
When an employer employs an intern full time after the internship is up that employer does not have to pay prsi for the first year, so after this year is up the employer can let the employee go and take on another intern for a internship then employ them for a year then let that one go and it keeps going.
The FAI had an intern job bridge vacancy not so long ago on jobs.ie!! THE FAI!!
as a student made recently redundant(can’t draw dole) job bridge really pisses me off! i am more than qualified for half these “internships”,have over 10 years retail experience.But! because im not on the dole- i can’t do them.i am really struggling financially now and finding a job is becoming but a bitter distant memory. Its a disgrace that some of these companies could offer a decent wage/ job security but they go for the cheap option with no job security for those involved- the mind boggles.
The multinationals would have hired them anyway.
Unlike in the Public Sector …….
The private sector examines minutely what good you are doing in the job.
Love to have those standards in Irish public sector!
Half of Irish public sector workers would be sacked by the standards of Intel.
@Peter what would you do if you did not have the public sector to moan about? It seems like the only people capable of doing a good days work is the private sector….who we are bailing out for their greedy mistakes of the past! ! Do you think Boucher is doing a good job on 843k a year and the bank loosing 2bn. Something not right here…..
slavebrige is alive and well wonder would edna, happy gilmore and the gang in power go on jobs bridge
This research is based on a survey of interns and host organisations, with no objective assessment of the quality of internships on offer. There’s nothing wrong with surveys, but the lack of any other research means that the report doesn’t address the problem that companies are converting what were traditionally unskilled or low-skilled jobs (e.g. caretaking, cleaning, waitressing, shelf stacking, etc.) to “internships”. Regardless of whether these internships do eventally get people into employment, surely the question needs to be asked: do we want to create a situation in which people can’t get a job in Tesco unless they intern for nine months first? That seems crazy to me.
Also, the report mentions (but doesn’t highlight) that 55% of those going into employment after an internship were going into temp work. So it’s more than likely that they’ll be back on the live register within six to twelve months.
I think, it is a good idea – but the €50 is paltry. There needs to be a ‘cash’ commitment from the Employer and one that reflects the type of work undertaken and or the Travel expenses incurred. I know Business’s need help, but they can’t have it all their own way! So now they are going to extend the amount of placements – and in mid 2013 they will give 25% wages rebate to employers who take people off the live register.
Our intern finished last week and was offered full time work with us, when she started her internship we had no position for someone at her skill level but during her time we continually trained and up-skilled her so she could take a position. I feel like we’re one of the very few using the scheme correctly. When the scheme is not abused its fantastic, great for the employer and the employee.
Local FG TD had his pre-election position up on jobs bridge locally – if that doesn’t stink I don’t know what does
Some perhaps relevent information, although I am confused as to when the report was released, it seems to me that a preliminary report was released in Oct 2012, because no link was provided with todays article it is hard to tell if this is just the ‘final’ part of that report. Anyhow here is what one guy thought of the OCT 2012 report
http://irisheconthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/indecons-interim-evaluation-of-jobbridge/
The report published in October was an interim (draft) report. The report published today is the final version.
Thanks for the link, it’s an interesting post!
I reckon the thinking behind it is to give people experience so they have a better chance of getting a job abroad and off they go emmigrate and the live register stats look a little healthier, then come the self congratulations.
This is one of the biggest balls of shit that the government is trying to push down the road and now they are trying to manipulate the media to justify it. Piss the fupp off Ends and co.
What’s the story with job bridge and mortgage protection, technically your not employed your up skilling apparently, and still paid by social welfare even though your hidden off the unemployment register?
have your say