Ireland Bin Tax: 5000 march in Dublin against jailings
Date: Wednesday, September 24 @ 18:19:09 CDT
Topic: CWI


Five thousand march in Dublin to ‘bin the tax’ and demand the release of Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins and councillor Clare Daly - Plus report of solidarity action by SP at Irish Consul offices in Melbourne

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Dublin yesterday in protest against the unfair bin tax and the jailing of Joe Higgins and Clare Daly.
Organised at a moments’ notice the demo was a tremendous success in bringing 4 to 5,000 people on to the streets. The majority of the people on the lively and noisy march to Mountjoy Prison were extremely angry at the contempt with which the courts and the political establishment had treated them and their political representatives. This shows the huge support that the campaign against the bin tax has in the local working class communities. At the gates of the prison the marchers were welcomed by another 500 protesters.
At the rally Trade Unionists Mick O’Reilly of the ATGWU, Denis Keane of the CPSU and Brendan Macken of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions joined speakers of the Socialist Party.
Councillor Ruth Coppinger – who is one of the organisers of the Fingal Anti-Bin Tax Campaign (FABTC) – said the jailings would not "behead" the campaign.

International support
Yesterday, Wednesday 24th, SP members in Melbourne went to the Irish Consul in Flinders St and delivered a letter. We warned the authorities that if a meeting wasn't arranged with the Consul and SP reps in Australia, an occupation of the Consul would occur. Within two hours the Consul (who is also the Vice Chancellor of VUT!) agreed to meet this Monday, September 29th.
Rosie Kane, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the SSP, addressed the rally. Dave Nellist, Socialist Party (England/Wales) councillor in Coventry pointed to the parallels with the Anti Poll Tax struggle in Britain in his speech and mentioned the international campaign that is being organised by the different sections of the CWI around the world. Yesterday protests and pickets where organised outside Irish Embassies in Brussels (Belgium), Berlin (Germany), Lagos (Nigeria), Vienna (Austria), Stockholm (Sweden) and London. This afternoon a picket in Athens (Greece) is organised. This campaign continues with more mobilisations and demonstrations against the hated bin tax. A new protest in Dublin to demand the release of Joe Higgins and Clare Daly is organised for Tuesday, when the parliament meets in full session.





This article comes from Socialist Party Australia
https://socialistpartyaustralia.org

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