Occupy Dublin protesters settling in for winter months

Say they will stay at Central Bank for 'as long as it takes'

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Protesters on Dame Street are in it for the long haul.

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The "Occupy Dame Street" protesters won't be leaving any time soon.

The group of protesters, who set up camp on the plaza outside the Central Bank in Dublin over three weeks ago, say they are planning to stay "as long as it takes."

The Dublin City Council said that the "occupied" space, which is clear of the public footpath, is outside its jurisdiction.

“As it is private property, Dublin City Council has no authority to move these people,” a spokeswoman  told the Irish Times.

She added that the protesters' camp is located on property belonging to the bank and as such it is a matter between the bank and the police. Irish police have said that the protesters are "well behaved" and that no complaints have been lodged.

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An eyewitness account from an Occupy Dame Street protester

The "tent town" on Dame Street went up on October 8th in solidarity with the "Occupy Wall Street" protest in New York. Like the "Wall Street" protest,  the "Occupy Dame Street" has no clear set of demands.

According to the protesters, the current aim is to "provide a platform for discussion." They do agree that the current global capitalist system is not working and a new way needs to be found.

On average during the week, around 20 to 30 people are at the camp site, with numbers swelling up to 150 during the weekends.

Among the Dublin protesters is Aubrey Robinson, the son of former president Mary Robinson.

The group is in it for the long-haul and have designed rotas to manage clean-up, cooking, security, media consultation, and planning tasks. The rotas also allow the protesters to take a break and leave the site occasionally.

The protesters made a decision not to provide names during interviews to avoid the perception of having a leader or spokesperson.

Said one protester: "We will be here as long as it takes."

"Personally I think it will go into next year some time," added another.

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