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@DisabilityIre via Twitter

5,000 march to Leinster House in demand for greater disability rights

People with disabilities showed the government a red card at a national protest today in Dublin.

AROUND 5,000 PEOPLE with disabilities, their families and supporters today marched from the Central Bank to Leinster House to demand  greater and equal rights for people with disabilities ahead of the upcoming Budget.

Organisers of the march, coordinated by the Disability Rights Coalition (DRC),  say they were “delighted with the turnout” with people “from all over the country” protesting to make their voices heard.

Siobhán Kane of Inclusion Ireland, one of the organisations that makes up the DRC, told TheJournal.ie:

The message got sent to government today that people with disabilities have had enough and they want to be listened to. The government must start making them a priority and stick to their promises.

A protester showing a red card to the Irish government today. Image: DisabilityIre/Twitter

The protesters showed the government a red card today and called on them to fulfil disability related promises made in the 2011 Programme for Government. Among the promises made were maintaining social welfare rates, introducing independent inspection of disability services and the introduction of modern decision making laws to replace the 1871 Lunacy Act.

Although 13 per cent of the population have a disability, they “continue to be ignored, isolated and bear an unfair brunt of economic cutbacks”, say campaigners.

Read: Irish charities unite to urge government to provide sustainable public services >

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39 Comments
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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jun 11th 2017, 6:32 PM

    10 comments deleted .. it’s worse the journal is getting !

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    Mute Stiofán Ó Cléirigh
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    Jun 11th 2017, 7:18 PM

    @Suzie Sunshine: it’s not freedom of speech as long as you say the right thing is it

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Jun 11th 2017, 8:40 PM

    @Suzie Sunshine: Didn’t see the comments. We wouldn’t always agree Suzi, but unless the comments are really bad and personal, they shouldn’t delete comments. I’ve had a few deleted, and wasn’t happy.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jun 11th 2017, 11:14 PM

    @Dave Doyle: one comment was out of order and then the rest were nothing major . It’s annoying when it happens ..

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Jun 11th 2017, 9:04 PM

    It is believed that the intended target was a serving Prison Officer. If this is the case it is a serious turn of events.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Jun 11th 2017, 11:15 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Mick that’s not good at all of that’s what had happened here ..

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    Mute Paddy King
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    Jun 11th 2017, 8:10 PM

    So according to these previous comments we should not take any threat of violence serious , just sit back and joke about it

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    Mute Joey Dempsey
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    Jun 11th 2017, 6:20 PM

    Probably an exhaust pipe, is this a summer thing, seems last year there was a Daily call out of the bomb disposal team, lost count actually and was anything discovered? No, seems the country is gone paranoid.

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    Mute Desmond Heeney
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    Jun 11th 2017, 5:01 PM

    Padjii I’m with you all the way we need to keep this country Ireland safe the only way to do this is ban all Muslims and deport the rest of The ones that sneaked in and Baugh there way in with a brown paper bag

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    Mute Frances Kawala
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    Jun 12th 2017, 6:56 PM

    saying the device was not ‘viable’ is saying nothing at all – what people would most like to know if it was an actual ‘device’ – or a hoax, or a false alarm . . . the only thing giving this any real interest is that it was a serving prison officer (allegedly!)

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    Mute Joe Smith
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    Jun 13th 2017, 6:36 PM

    Sensorship is alive and well dont ever forget it

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