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100,000 protest on Dublin’s streets

Major rally against cutbacks by government

JAMES O'SHEA,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, November 27, 2010, 9:01 AM

Updated Saturday, November 27, 2010, 9:59 AM

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Protesters in Dublin

Over 100,000 took to the streets in Ireland protesting the government’s economic policies and their cutbacks on the poor and the elderly.

Organizers claimed over 100,000 but police said only that the crowd exceeded 50,000 and a major rally was held in O’Connell Street.

The protest was organised by the Irish Congress of Trades Unions, who have said the austerity measures are too harsh that are being adopted following the IMF bailout.

The ICTU leadership said: 'If they go ahead with their plans, they will do irreparable damage and turn this country into a social and economic wasteland.'

Marchers assembled behind the banners of their unions but it appeared many member of the public were also taking part.

March organisers also provided whistles to demonstrators to use as a way to protest.

Union leaders Jack O'Connor and David Begg, and singer Christy Moore are set to address the march.

Three demonstrators sailed down the Liffey in a curragh and flew several banners in support of the marchers.

There is a massive media presence, with camera crews from all over the world present.

Police say they are expecting a peaceful protest, but are poised to handle any trouble.

Chief Superintendent Michael O'Sullivan, said: 'While our policing plan is primarily focused on crowd safety, it will also aim to prevent any disruption. In addition, we will gather evidence of any unlawful or criminal behaviour which might occur with the intention of bringing those responsible before the courts."

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S.Connolly | Nov 29, 2010, 08:10 PM EST

it's the banks, bankers, stock market and their ilk...GREED. Bail them out and they will end up with more $$ in the end. Look what happened to us, the USA. They're nothing more than whores, but then that gives whores a really bad name! Should have never joined the EU

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maloney | Nov 28, 2010, 10:37 PM EST

The unions along with all top money controllers will continue to milk their countries & make the little man pay for their greed. Until more is done other than vote one bunch of crooks for another, the cycle will continue. In America, between the greedy, politicians & socialists, there is a lot of cleaning house to be done. The unions spend the workers money on elections & the pensions be damned, let the tax payer bail them out.

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lostgold | Nov 28, 2010, 09:57 PM EST

monsoonman unions are not the problem. In historical terms they are only a reaction to capitalist exploitation. Even their membership fees come out of weekly wages that comes from the capitalist. Monsoonman the thing for people like you to fear in Ireland is the beginning of a broad band socialist awareness in Ireland and the pulling down of the international money crooks now in power on both sides of the borderand. The creation of a real united Ireland united for all the people not divided by petty psedo-ethnic and religous differances while capitalist lackeys on both sides play a pea inside the shell game with the working people.

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jacersagain | Nov 28, 2010, 08:43 PM EST

This is typical of media people, like Niall O’Dowd’s media crowd, distorting truth. Not 100,000 but 15,000 out of a 4 million population in Ireland protested. The rest of the 35,000 actually paraded n Dublin were children and some few old people - carried on their parents’ shoulders or wheeled along the protest route in buggies or wheelchairs, children and old people who had no idea what the protest was about anyway. Can somebody now redefine what child and old people abuse is, please? - Especially parents of their children’s nation’s dominion? To be shure... ye’ll all say it was a minority group doing the abusing. Say,hey hello Democracy – how was it for you, suffering abuse like this?

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Searlit | Nov 28, 2010, 07:40 PM EST

The problem in the US, now, is that former executives of companies go through a revolving door which puts them on the regulatory board of the very businesses that they were formerly promoting and selling. There were regulations before that kept these people, with a conflict of interest, from holding a regulator's position. So, deregulation is at the core of the problem. Look at former VP Cheney sitting on the board of Halliburton.

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seamusmoore | Nov 28, 2010, 06:11 PM EST

boo1113 How does the Irish Financial Regulator approving 110% mortgages back in 2005 fit into your view that Deregulation caused this? You probably have no idea the role that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played in the US real estate boondaggle either.

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kateomprint | Nov 28, 2010, 04:22 PM EST

One of the Union bosses is on the Board of the Central Bank. It is something he got for being a loyal supporter of Fianna Fail so if the Politicians and Union Bosses are in one another's pockets what hope does the ordinary worker have

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Monsoonman | Nov 28, 2010, 01:54 PM EST

The unions are the fat sows at the trough. They don't care what they do to the countries or to the industries they strangle, they are trans national socialist organizations anyway. Look at what they have done to Greece, Spain and California...I am in aviation and see that govt. unionized air traffic controllers(in Spain) are making 500,000 per year, yes 1/2 million US. These trans global unions prop up corrupt politicians who write the laws and regulate our economies to their advantage, hence we get economic collpase. The taxpayers, like the golden goose can only take so much abuse.

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boo1113 | Nov 28, 2010, 01:36 PM EST

MOnsoonman, It wasn't the unions that broiught the banks down...it was the same old American Greed...Money and Power. Follow the american Right....Deregulate, let business go about making profits at the expense of everyone else.

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judiron | Nov 28, 2010, 01:14 PM EST

The more and sronger unions you have the more problems you will have.

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Monsoonman | Nov 28, 2010, 01:00 PM EST

I hear the democrats in my country saying that paying income taxes is good, it is a patriotic thing to do. However it's a fact that 47% of the population in the US do not pay income taxes and that 47% happen to be mostly democrats. If Ireland and the US are to have a chance of recovering, there needs to be a fundamental change to the unfair tax social engineering being done in both countries. EVERYONE should pay income tax on a flat rate. Then we'll see a fundamental change in govt....Everyone has to pay, everyone has skin in the game.

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citizen69 | Nov 28, 2010, 10:43 AM EST

@bogsidebunny: while it's true that many people did live like this and enjoyed the good times during the boom, this budget hits those hardest who never were able to speculate on the property market, the people on the lowest wage. They are now having the minimum wage reduced and are now being taxed for the first time if they earn under 13,000. These people were never earning big money during the so called celtic tiger.

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WoundedKnee | Nov 28, 2010, 10:10 AM EST

You'll know the game is up, not when Cowen is forced from power but when, like Ceaucescu of Romania he tries to make it to the border incognito. I'm serious, I'm convinced there is enough wrongdoing there under and by Cowen to earn him a life sentence. He doesn't want to be in Ireland when the cans of worms are opened.

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bogsidebunny | Nov 28, 2010, 09:51 AM EST

Funny. I didn't see these twerps rioting over the Celtic Tiger. OH, they were too busy working and earning over €900 per week laying blocks to build houses that are now empty. I didn't see them demonstrating during the Celtic Tiger because they were taking 2 or 3 foreign holidays a year, buying new Beemers or Mercs and borrowing €700,000 to build a McMansion. Suck it up folks and take the pain!

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Searlit | Nov 28, 2010, 09:44 AM EST

The Irish people shouldn't have to pay for the banker's irresponsibility and dishonesty. There can't be any trust or integrity in the banking system, if the taxpayers are punished when the financiers have done wrong. Ireland's economy wasn't in trouble through debt or deficit before the banking crisis. Even in the US, where banks were bailed out, the banks are having to pay back the money to the government. Over half has already been paid back.

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