BOYCOTT BATTLE KICKS OFF: ARE K-TECH SECURITY ON THE ROPES ALREADY?

The National Land League of Ireland has begun its first nation-wide boycott campaign and the recipient of that dishonour is none other than K-Tech security whose main office is in Walkinstown, Co Dublin. K-Tech have contracts with family-brand retailers and businesses throughout Ireland including at CityWest Hotel. The National Land League and other groups such as local Says No groups and the Sean Heuston 1916 Society have decided to protest K-Tech's involvement in the Sunday World Country Music Awards to be held in the CityWest Hotel on the 26th of January. Peaceful protesters will start gathering at the hotel from 5pm.

K-Tech personnel in public-friendly disguises

Boycott is a peaceful protest technique started in Ireland over 130 years ago and involves informing the public of the immoral activities of an individual or business and asking concerned citizens not to engage with them until they desist from such activities. It wasThe National Land League of Ireland that first used the technique that became a central tactic of independence movements world-wide. Mahatma Gandhi made clear the influence that the tactics of The National Land League had on the Indian Independence movement. Recently in Ireland the National land League have conducted a number of small scale boycott's in Louth and elsewhere but the campaign against K-Tech Security is the first time what might be described as a nationally significant boycott has been launched since the National League's reformation.

K-Tech Security personnel have been involved in some of the most thuggish behaviours witnessed in recent years at evictions. The National League has possession of a dossier of video footage and images that portrays the day-to-day activities of personnel as they intimidate homeowners, farmers and small business owners. One such piece of footage is of K-Tech "paramilitary" workers, at the request of the Louth County Sheriff Mairead Ahern, dressed in their usual paramilitary garb and using sledgehammers to smash in the door of a home whilst at the same time talking to the person inside whose head was at the other side of the door.

A recent protest at K-Tech offices

The National Land League has exchanged numerous emails with K-Tech management asking them to desist from their activities but to no avail. Indeed, K-Tech have recently attempted through their solicitors to intimidate National Land League members into silence. Irrespective of such attempts at hiding the truth The National Land League of Ireland will be going ahead with the peaceful protest outside the CityWest Hotel at the Sunday World Country Music Awards. The intention of this protest is to highlight the darker side of K-Tech to the nation, but also those who do business with K-Tech Security. In many respects the National Land League is not only using lawful people power to achieve its aim of keeping people in their homes and free of intimidation, but is also using the power of the markets.

The National Land League expects that a little public embarrassment will go a long way towards convincing K-Tech that there are more moral ways to make a living. Unconfirmed reports from another security company recently conveyed information to the effect that K-Tech were abandoning current contracts to take contracts involving eviction and receivership. If this proves the case then evictions and receiverships may be where the money is at, but we at the League must ask "Will such Judas money be worth it in the long run?"

CityWest Hotel, Dublin

The National land League are hoping that this first national boycott protest is a resounding success. To achieve this will mean having at least two hundred people in attendance. As such, the League is asking all of its supporters to spread the details of the protest wherever and however possible. Together we are strong.