Fund Communities – Not Royal Visits!
Wicklow Éirígí activists held a Fund Communities – Not Royal Visits protest outside Superquinn on Castle Street in Bray on Saturday [October 16].
With cuts to public services and community infrastructure taking place across the Twenty-Six Counties, activists took the opportunity to highlight the preposterous spending policies of the Dublin government, which is considering wasting millions of euro on a state visit by Elizabeth Windsor.
The protest received an enthusiastic response from both pedestrians and passing cars and bikers, who all signalled their support for the Éirígí campaign. Activists handed out hundreds of No Royal Visits leaflets to shoppers and passers-by.
After the protest, Éirígí Cill Mhantáin activist Adrian O’Reilly said the party was delighted with the support they received in Bray.
O’Reilly said: “It’s clear to all that community project funding is essential in Wicklow and to see an estimated eight million euro wasted on bringing Elizabeth Windsor on a state visit to the Twenty-Six Counties is ridiculous. It should be remembered that Windsor is the commander-in-chief of Britain’s armed forces, the same forces that have over 5,000 troops stationed in the occupied Six Counties.
“Working class communities will be expected to provide millions of euros in taxes for this proposed visit, while key public services and community development projects like the addiction and after-care program services from Bray to Arklow are facing the Fianna Fáil/Green Party bloody axe.
“Only recently, the county town of Wicklow received the devastating news that their local hospital is to close. This is a scandalous decision by Mary Harney’s HSE, as the hospital is a vital institution for the local area and caters for over 20 elderly long term patients.”
O’Reilly continued: “What we need to see are Wicklow residents, trade unions, community groups, cultural and sporting bodies and all radical and progressive political parties taking to the streets to demand that this unjust economic attack by the Twenty-Six County government ceases immediately. It has to be made clear that all this talk of national consensus is simply a smokescreen to protect the rich and to push through the IBEC backed 4 year budgetary austerity program for government.
“Likewise, the plans to invite Windsor on a state visit must be actively opposed as the insult to national sovereignty and waste of working people’s taxes that it would be.”