Pre-Budget Anti Austerity March in Dublin - Sat 24th Nov 2012 - Photos

by T Thu Nov 29, 2012 22:12

For additional coverage of the march last week see the article here: http://www.wsm.ie/c/15000-march-against-austerity-24112012 and in it they give a figure of 15,000

However in the article from WSWS, they give the figure of 10,000 which goes to show estimates vary. The WSWS article titled: Irish unions make show of opposition to new austerity measures opens with this interesting paragraph which tallies with the points made above.


The president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Eugene McGlone, was booed as he started to speak at last Saturday’s anti-austerity march in Dublin. ...

.....By agreeing to participate in a fresh round of talks, the trade unions have shown once again their determination to impose the full burden of the crisis on to working people. The successor to Croke Park will seek to slash at least another €1 billion from public sector budgets. Spokesman for the ICTU Bernard Harbor declared, “What’s clear, or what the Government is saying is now clear, is that there’s a bigger hole to fill now than we expected when we went into this process. So I think unions accept that that problem exists.”
......
A genuine opposition movement can develop only to the extent that working people break organisationally and politically from the unions and adopt a socialist perspective to unify their struggles with their class brothers and sisters across Europe-—all of whom confront an assault on their living standards by the ruling class.

by T Sun Nov 25, 2012 21:43

More photos of the pre-budget anti-austerity march can be found at:

http://rabble.ie/2012/11/24/march/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xshayx/sets/72157632087599783 -previously linked in a comment on event posting http://www.indymedia.ie/article/102639

by JoeMc Sun Nov 25, 2012 20:47

I really don’t think that any one person should attempt to estimate the turn-out for a march of much over two or three thousand people -especially for a report intended as a "good placeholder and archive entry point for the actual march”. Interestingly T’s estimate of “up to 10,000” is the same “revised” figure given by Rte and the gardai.

T originally wrote:

"Gardai will be out in force today as anti-austerity campaigners predict up to 50,000 people will take part in a pre-Budget march in Dublin... "

In defending his critique of the low turnout as against the organizers’ expectation, he quotes a radio station saying:

“However organisers had hoped for a large crowd of at least 50,000”

There is a difference between “up to” and “at least” 50,000.

I do agree with many of T’s criticisms , especially the need to be “realistic and not delude ourselves." But for that you need accurate reporting. Did the organizers predict “up to” 50,000 or “at least” 50,000 marchers?

by T Sun Nov 25, 2012 19:50

Taken from: http://www.newstalk.ie/thousands-expected-to-hold-anti-...ublin it says:

Gardaí will be out in force today as anti-austerity campaigners predict up to 50,000 people will take part in a pre-Budget march in Dublin.....

The estimate above is my estimate and having been at many marches over the years that is the figure I estimated. Obviously during any march the numbers present constantly varies so there is no absolute figure. A turnout of 18,000 would have been great and maybe there really was, but we have to be realistic. and not delude ourselves.

This was published as a photo-essay in its own right. It also serves as a good placeholder and archive entry point for the actual march as opposed to the article at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/102639 which was the event advertising it.

It would be great if people would cover all the other protests and other events that take place and publish their reports and pictures too.

by JoeMc Sun Nov 25, 2012 18:05

The author ,T , is a long-standing member of the indymedia collective .

I posted a comment on an already existing thread about the march yesterday that pointed to the divergence of figures provided by RTE for the attendance See:
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/102639 comment_limit=0&condense_comments=false#comment293368

Perhaps T's "article" -really more of a comment - would have been more appropriate at that thread ?

by enough Sun Nov 25, 2012 16:25

It was a huge march- Gardai said 18,000 and then revised it down. This is a right wing article which lies- none of the organizers said there'd be 50,000. The article is rubbish. Wake up.

by Nick - None Sun Nov 25, 2012 15:43

Sorry, who wrote this article? Would you be kind enough to put a name to go with it? This is important in the interests of objectivity etc.,