Tens of thousands attend Dublin rally
"Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Communications Workers Union called for the ownership of water to be protected in the Constitution. He called for a referendum to add the following words to the Constitution: "The Government shall collectively be responsible for the protection, management and maintenance of the public water system."
"`The Government shall ensure in the public interest that this resource remains in public ownership and management. That’s all we want, we already own it, protect it,` Mr Fitzpatrick added to applause. "
"General secretary of Mandate Trade Union John Douglas said there had been a `massive turnout again despite naysayers saying it would be a dismal turnout. It is a big demonstration despite all the so-called concessions the Government have given which was an attempt to buy the public. They obviously haven’t succeeded in buying the public.`"
"Will the Government change? No...and they will ultimately pay the price in the ballot box."...
"Speaking from stage Mary Curtis, who described herself as `a mother and grandmother`, from Dundalk Says No, said water charges came on top of continuous cuts, which would no longer be tolerated."
"`We have a new ‘workhouse’ in this country,` she said. `It’s called ‘emergency housing’. They put our people into one room in hotels and they say, ‘We’ve given you a roof over your head’. But they have stolen the roof from over their head....The homeless are dying on the streets of this city...Austerity is directly linked to suicide.`"
"Memet Uludag of People Before profit and the Irish Anti-Racism Network, spoke in the context of UN World Anti-Racism day."
"`We say today water is a human right. Black and white, we will unite and we will fight. From Bolivia, to Detroit, to Greece, people have been fighting against cuts, against austerity`".
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/water-charge-protest-tens-of-thousands-attend-dublin-rally-1.2148568
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