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Worker & Community Struggles and Protests
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Massive Demo in Galway galway |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report
 Friday November 06, 2009 18:23 by Fred Johnston fred.johnston at rocketmail dot com 087.2178138
 Biggest demonstration seen in Galway ? Arguably the biggest demo seen on the streets of Galway braved squalls of Westerly rain to march from Galway Cathedral (built on the site of the old Galway Gaol), over the river and down Shop Street into the sun. Sudden bursts of sunlight bathed a massive demonstration of ICTU trades' union workers and others, from Gardaí to nurses, teachers, community activists, as it made its way through the city of Galway to Spanish Arch where, beside the river Corrib, the assembly heard trades' union speakers and others voice demands for fairness, equity and a stop to proposed dole payment cuts and the Christmas bonus. There was considerable voiced anger that 'rogue' bankers still walked the streets of the country without having been brought to account. And there was mention too of the 'Galway tent' mentality and the small golden circles who availed of it. This was a demonstration of roughly 6.000 people, young and old, who felt they were being made to pay for the follies and depredations of the rich and the protected and they had had enough. Cases were cited from the speakers' platform of attempts being made to turn worker against worker and union member against union member in a 'divide and conquer' move by the government and vested interests. Writers, academics, musicians also marched - it was a brave and unignorable display of solidarity. No one denied there were cuts needed, but there was a need to spread the 'pain' to the rich and wealthy. |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Nurses, gardaí, academics, writers - people from the whole Galway social specturm took to the streets today.
Some more pics, a short report and a short video on SpunOut.ie at:
http://www.spunout.ie/action/Be-inspired/Thousands-marc...eland
No surprise that the Irish Independent and the Irish Daily Mail (Saturday) led away with stories about how the demos weren't as well-turned out as ICTU and others expected - as if 70,000+ people didn't count. This is Bertie Ahern mathematics: one recalls how easily he dismissed the 100,000 who marched in Dublin against the Iraq invasion and the use of Shannon by the US. The Right, frightened by the demos, are trying to play them down. One argument being used is that demos and strike-action is 'unpatriotic;' clearly 'Seanie' Fitzpatrick's diddling at Anglo-Irish was a blatant act of patriotism, the kind the present government can appreciate. Strike action is a RIGHT of every working man and woman and that right was hard fought for. We shouldn't ever forget that,.