PROTESTERS IN CLONDALKIN took to burning their Irish Water registration packs in a bath tub outside the local civic offices last night.
It is believed that between 100 and 200 people turned up to take part in the peaceful protest against the water charges, with the gardaí stating that there were no public order offences.
This clip from a video, which has been shared over 1,000 times on Facebook, shows people queuing up to throw their registration pack into the flames.
Level of anger
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Sinn Féin Councillor Eoin Ó Broin, who was in attendance at the protest last night, said that the turnout was an indication of the level of anger out there over the introduction of water charges.
Meanwhile, People Before Profit Councillor Gino Kenny said he believed there was a lot more than 200 people present at the demonstration, stating that it was a “brilliant show of strength and defiance” against the government.
“The Clondalkin Meter Watch campaign along with residents drove Irish Water out of Clondalkin during the summer. This is only a glimpse of things to come and tomorrow’s match will be testament to that,” said Kenny.
“There was a very significant turn out last night, which I feel is an indication of the huge numbers that are going to turn up in Dublin tomorrow to take part in the national protest,” said Ó Broin, adding:
The people that turned out last night are people that simply can not pay this charge. They are families who have no disposable income at the end of the week. It is not that they don’t want to pay, it is the case that they simply don’t have the money to. Other people that turned up are those that are not paying the charge on principle and also those that are paying, but who are doing so through gritted teeth.
He said he believed tomorrow’s protest, which is taking place from the Garden of Remembrance at 2pm, will be one of the largest protests the capital has seen to date.
“The protest last night was the second one held in Clondalkin and they have all been peaceful. People have no desire to seek out confrontation. People just want the right to protest peacefully and there was a good relationship there last night between the gardaí, Irish Water staff and the protesters,” said Ó Broin.
Kenny said that the people will use “their civil disobedience and non compliance” from now until the water charges are abolished. He said that if they are not abolished, 2015 will be “a year a mass discontent”.
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