More than 100,000 people gathered in central Dublin today (Saturday 11th) in protest at the introduction of water charges and the threat to privatise water services. The establishment of a new national water utility, Irish Water, is widely seen as the precursor to water privatisation in Ireland while similar moves are likely to follow in Northern Ireland.
A sizeable Workers Party contingent joined today’s march, led by the newly elected Party President Mick Donnelly and the party’s growing youth movement. Earlier the party’s Central Executive Committee (Ard Comhairle) issued the following statement:
“The Workers’ Party calls for a massive turnout for today’s National protest in Dublin against water charges which has been organised by the Right 2 Water coalition, a grouping of citizens organisations which includes a number of trade unions, community groups and political parties including the Workers’ Party.”
The Party calls for the maximum mobilisation of citizens and people’s organisations for today’s march which assembles at the Garden of Remembrance at 2.00pm.
The party stated that it was plainly obvious the introduction of water charges and the installation of water meters is the precursor to the sale of the most precious resource of water, a fundamental resource upon which all life is dependent.
“The commodification of water is the final frontier. Taxpayers, predominantly PAYE taxpayers, already pay for this resource from central taxation, therefore water charges amount to a form of double taxation. These charges are being promoted as being about conservation and upgrading of infrastructure when in fact they are purely and solely about the future sale of this resource to private interests for profit.
Right across Ireland, in almost every community, large or small, people are mobilising to fight the water charges. They are showing great courage, determination and solidarity. They are refusing to be intimidated by the threats and lies of Irish Water, the government and other agencies of the state including the gardai. The scale of the lies and threats from the state is breathtaking, from threats of punitive fines to the taunts of Minister Joan Burton and her condescending comments about people’s mobile phones. It is clear that the present coalition government have bitten off more than they can chew on this issue but are in deep denial and are shocked by the level of mass resistance to Irish Water charges and all that it represents.
The Workers’ Party believes that today’s protest signals a new phase in the fight against water charges and privatisation and that the non-payment campaign coupled with widescale ongoing public resistance to the installation of water meters will see a monumental climb-down of the government sooner or later.