Up to 100,000 people marched in six Irish cities and towns on Saturday (9th February) in protest at the bank debt and one sided austerity policies.

More than 50,000 marched in Dublin where Congress general secretary, David Begg, told a massive rally in Merrion Square that the Irish protests against the unsustainable €64 billion debt will be brought to Brussels and Frankfurt and to governments across the EU.

He said that the “architects of austerity” would be informed that Ireland will no longer be the “Mr Nice Guy” or “poster child” of Europe and that the campaign against the bank debt would continue until the agreement reached by EU leaders in June last year to separate it from sovereign debt was honoured. He said that protests would also continue at home until the Government changed course on its one-sided austerity policies and adopted measures to stimulate growth and employment.

Comedian, Barry Murphy, entertained the Dublin marchers with his troika character, Gunther Grun while singers Temper Mental MissElayneous, Jinx Lennon, Knots and Mundy also performed at the rally.

In Cork, up to 15,000 people heard SIPTU General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn, call for an end to austerity policies which were inflicting pain and suffering on the most vulnerable.

Huge crowds also rallied in Limerick (10,000), Galway (5,000), Sligo (6,500) and Waterford (10,000) in a day of national protest that confirmed the deep anger of Irish working people at the bank debt despite the deal on the Anglo promissory notes announced by the government just two days previously.

In Dublin, the good natured rally was marred at an early stage when protestors against the government’s property tax invaded the march as it took off from Winetavern Street under the arch of Christ Church cathedral. Over 100 people led by activists from the Socialist Party and the right wing group, Freeman, moved in on a group of young people dressed in red t-shirts who were behind a theatrical prop, performers and a marching band fronting the massive demonstration.

In order to avoid a confrontation, which would have endangered the safety of the young people in particular, the Congress stewards and gardai allowed the anti-property tax protestors into the march despite democratic agreement by organisers and others that it would be led by SIPTU, followed by IMPACT, the CWU and other unions, community and political parties. Another group of anti-property tax protestors carrying placards on behalf of the People before Profit group entered the march between the large SIPTU and IMPACT contingents. In contrast, campaigning and political organisations, including Sinn Féin, the Communist Party and others complied with the request of Congress for a dignified, family friendly and peaceful occasion following an agreed order of march participants.

As the march arrived at Merrion Square, Congress organisers led the Churchill Silver Band directly towards Holles Street hospital, on the north side of the square, in a manoeuvre which, ‘Pied Piper like’, brought the lead group of anti-property tax protestors down the wrong route preventing them from disrupting the proceedings, as they clearly intended, at the stage on the south side. Socialist Party activists also, unsuccessfully, attempted to disrupt the Congress marches in Cork and Sligo. This appeared to confirm that heckling and disruption of previous trade union organised marches were clearly orchestrated.