TENS OF thousands of water charge protesters rallied in central Dublin yesterday as Right2Water (R2W) broadened its campaign to demand rights to housing, education, healthcare and a living wage.
Sinn Fein, the Anti-Austerity Alliance, People Before Profit and a number of left-wing independents, including Joan Collins TD, endorsed the widening of the anti-water charges campaign as a large turnout in O’Connell Street boosted the morale of the movement’s leadership.
“What recovery has there been for the 460 Clerys workers whose jobs were stolen by vulture capitalists?” asked John Douglas, general secretary of the trade union, Mandate, and one of the R2W leaders.
“What recovery has there been for the Dunnes Stores workers getting 15 hours work a week or the 1,000 children who were homeless on one night in July? We are fighting back now . . . it is not just about water any more. It is about decent homes and schools and hospitals for our people.”
Mary Lou McDonald, vice-president of Sinn Fein, said the government thought it could purchase half the people and intimidate the other half with the “conservation grant” and heavy-handed legislation.
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“The fools, the fools, the fools — they have underestimated us at their peril. Because now is our time, now is our moment. This is our country. This is our republic in the making. And we will not tolerate their arrogant, bully-boy politics any longer,” said McDonald.
The protest proved another smoothly run event for the Right2Water movement. Stewards from trade unions, community groups and political parties distributed garish disposable rain gear to marchers as thunderclouds gathered ominously overhead. Greek flags, “Justice for the Jobstown 23” placards, and white Right2Water balloons were dispensed for free.
Ten demonstrators appeared on a rooftop along O’Connell Street and unfurled a giant banner — at least 100 sq m — signifying the transition from the Right2Water logo to the broader Right2Change platform.
Don Baker, a Dublin musician, and a band blasted out the blues standard Bound for Glory from a stage beneath the Spire on O’Connell Street as they waited for the speakers to address the crowd.
Community groups from around Dublin joined two feeder parades from Connolly and Heuston rail stations as they made their way through north and south inner cities.
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Paula and Martin Bowden from Crumlin had missed only one of the anti-water charge marches. They were marching for their three children aged 16, 20 and 22.
“It’s hard to find jobs out there and we just we have to do this for them and their future as well,” said Paula. “Martin’s wages as a postman are already taxed with USC and loads of other charges, and then we have to pay for all the bills we have already, so water charges are just too much for us.”
Damien Farrell of the Dublin 8 Says No group and Brendan Condron of Crumlin Says No were encouraged by the continued momentum of the campaign. “We’ve kept the water meters out of Dublin South-Central, there’s less than 1% of the area metered,” said Condron.
Farrell said they had also helped block efforts to install meters in Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire and, last week, in Ballinteer, thwarting Irish Water’s strategy of trying to meter middle-class areas of the city first.
The momentum behind this campaign will favour groups like the Social Democrats, Sinn Fein and other left-wing parties at the next election,” said Farrell. “But it is important to see the water charges campaign win, not the political parties. That is the only risk with the election coming, that some parties will use this for their own aims and not for the water charges campaign.”