Workers Solidarity Movement

Several hundred people from both sides of the community gathered today despite arctic conditions outside Annie’s Bar, in Derry’s Waterside.  They came together united in their outrage at last weeks brutal murder of local man Andrew Allen.

Following a series of 4 public meetings across the area (attended by a total of about 100 people), the following activity is planned by the Dun Laoghaire Campaign Against Household And Water Taxes in the next couple of weeks:

Seventy campaigners from all around Ireland this morning blockaded Shell's Aghoos compound in Erris, Co. Mayo. The 7am protest is intended to demonstrate support for the local community whose lives are being increasingly disrupted by Shell's haulage and construction works.  Last week Shell began hauling materials along this road in convoys (usually 4 or 5 large trucks together) in order to setup the Glengad compound. The convoys have so far all been heavily escorted by Gardaí, usually with 2 Garda cars infront and 2 behind along with another Garda van bringing up the rear. The roads are extremely unsuitable for this haulage but Shell and the Gardaí seem intent on trying to use brute force to get Shell's job done.

Political poet Catherine Brogan returned home last Friday night to a successful event hosted by Occupy Belfast. Local poets, artists and singers performed at the free event in the ‘people bank’ to a receptive and enthusiastic audience eager to listen to poetry with a political message.

Housing Executive workers held a successful lunchtime protest yesterday outside their offices in Adelaide street in Belfast city centre to demand their bosses keep to their commitment that a £250 payment be given to low-paid workers who earn less than £21,000 per year. 

About fifty people attended a Campaign Against the Household and Water Charges meeting in the Donore Avenue Community Centre in the Dublin 8 area on the 8th of February. Two speakers who have been involved in building the national campaign addressed the attendees, providing important information about the campaign and the need for community resistance.

Over 100 people took part in a picket at City Hall in Dublin last night to protest the Household tax.  The protest was timed to  coincide with a motion opposing the household tax proposed by Cllrs Louise Minihan, Cieran Perry, Pat Dunne and Brid Smith.

Cork city and county Anti-Household Tax Campaign rounded off an excellent eight days' work by holding protests in Ballincollig and outside Cork's City Hall this Friday to coincide with taoiseach Enda Kenny's visit to the south. Following on from the massively successful public meeting in the city last Thursday 26^th January, 200 people spent well over 2 hours noisily picketing a Chamber of Commerce banquet at City Hall yesterday evening to let Mr. Kenny know the depth of opposition to the Household Tax in the city. Earlier in the day, another 50 people picketed the Oriel House hotel in the commuter belt town of Ballincollig, where he attended another gathering of business people.

Approximately 200 people – INTO staff representatives and school principals – from across Dublin attended a packed meeting in the Teachers’ Club on Thursday 2^nd February and agreed plans for an escalation of the campaign against the staffing cuts announced in DEIS schools in December’s budget.

On Tuesday January 31^st 2011 a public meeting took place in the Hotel Keadeen in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. The meeting was organised by the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes and with around 200 local people in attendance, many having to stand at the back and sides, the meeting was a great start for the local campaign. The video below was recorded just before 8pm when the meeting was scheduled to commence and does not capture the people that continued to file into the hall after it was taken.