éirígí Tir Chonaill

Dozens join éirígí anti-EU/IMF Protest

14/10/11

Up to forty people last night joined an anti-EU/IMF protest outside the 26-County Department of Finance in Dublin. The picket was organised by éirígí to coincide with the latest visit by representatives of the EU/IMF/ECB ‘troika’ to Ireland’s capital city.

The colourful protest attracted the support of passing motorists and pedestrians alike. The presence of the republican protesters cannot have been missed by the troika delegation staying in the exclusive Merrion Hotel directly across the road from the Department of Finance.

Speaking at the protest éirígí Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan said,

“When the EU and IMF first arrived in Ireland many people welcomed them in the vain hope that they might represent a better option than the then Fianna Fáil/Green Party government. But with every passing month more and more people are coming to the realisation that this is not the case. The so-called troika are nothing more than a pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

“It is a simple fact that the EU and IMF are now in complete control of economic and social policy in the Twenty-Six Counties. And they are using this position of power to implement a draconian neo-liberal agenda of cutbacks, privatisation and increased taxation. That agenda needs to be steadfastly resisted in the workplace, in the community and on the streets.”

Louise continued with the promise of further protests against the EU and IMF, “Irish republicans have resisted foreign interference and aggression for centuries. The fight against British imperialism is the same fight as the one against EU and US imperialism. There are now clear signs that the honeymoon period for the EU and IMF is coming to an end.

“Tonight’s protest put down a marker for future opposition by éirígí and the wider socialist republican community to the dictates of Brussels and Washington. I would encourage anyone who cares about the very notion of Irish self-determination to join with us in building mass opposition to the politics of the EU and IMF.”