éirígí Tir Chonaill

Protest at Sligo FF office Calls for Reversal of Savage Budget Cutbacks

19/12/2010

SWA protest outside Fianna Fáil office in Sligo

The Socialist Republican party éirígí have said that the savage cutbacks imposed on workers, social welfare recipients and on essential public services will result in a massive increase in poverty, illness and death, on a scale not seen before in this state.

Local activist Gerry Casey said that only through widespread street protests, strikes and mass civil obedience would these cutbacks be reversed and the IMF sent packing from our shores.

Mr Casey was speaking following a demonstration on Saturday (Dec 11) outside the office of Fianna Fáil TD Jimmy Devins in John Street Sligo.

The demonstration was organised by local campaign group Sligo Workers Alliance (SWA), a broad-based Left-Wing organisation formed earlier this year representing the interests of workers, the unemployed, pensioners and the Marginalised in society. The protest was called in response to the savage cutbacks imposed by the Fianna Fáil/Green Party Coalition, in collusion with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in the budget released earlier this month.

éirígí activist Gerry Casey at
the protest in Sligo

Speaking following the protest, Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey, who is also a member of the Sligo Workers Alliance, said: “The savage cutbacks imposed in this budget was a declaration of war on working class communities and the poorest and most vulnerable in society. As a result we will see a massive increase in poverty, illness and death, on a scale not seen before in this state.”

“This budget was about making workers and working class communities bail out the banks and to pay off the private gambling debts of bondholders, bankers and developers. None of the cuts were necessary or made economic sense but were instead focused on ensuring that the wealthy political and business elite maintained their lavish and extravagant lifestyles.”

Casey added: ”This budget made the rich richer and the poor poorer. No attempt was made to introduce a wealth tax on the 1% elite who control 34% of our wealth. No attempt was made to nationalise our natural resources which are worth a minimum of €400 billion euro making any excuse for cuts redundant.”

Casey concluded: “The protest in Sligo was the start of a campaign locally against these cuts. Only through widespread street protests, strikes and mass civil disobedience will these cutbacks be reversed and the IMF sent packing from our shores. Not only must we remove the current administration in Leinster House, more importantly we need to dismantle their capitalist system which is responsible for the increasing exploitation of workers, the ongoing drive to slash and privatise essential services and the neglect of the most vulnerable in society who need assistance and care."

Meanwhile the spokesperson for éirígí in Donegal, Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, welcomed the news of the protest in Sligo and reiterated Mr Casey's comments saying that street protests were an important action for people to take to let their voices be heard.

Some of the protesters outside the Fianna Fáil
office in Gortahork

"I commend the people who took part in the protest in Sligo for making sure their voice of opposition, not only to this latest budget, but also to the capitalist system which has caused so much hardship for the ordinary people, was heard loud and clear" he said. "Those in Lenister House who have caused the economic mess we have now been left in would be happy if we just stayed at home and kept our mouths shut so they could continue with their savage attacks on the must vulnerable in society. But we will not stay at home and we will not be silenced."

Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig concluded "This protest in Sligo, just like the eirígí protest outside the Fianna Fáil office in Dungloe on December 7th, and the protest outside another Fianna Fáil office in Gortahork which éirígí Tir Chonaill supported, was held with the clear intention of letting the ordinary person voice their anger and opinion against a corrupt system which only has the interests of the wealthy at its heart. The people must continue to let themselves be heard and street protests, strikes and mass civil disobedience is a good way to do just that."