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Clondalkin Begins To Fight Back

16/12/09

Last Saturday (December 12), upwards of 30 people took part in an anti-cutbacks protest in North Clondalkin, Dublin that had been organised by éirígí’s South Dublin Ciorcal.

The protest came on the back of a public meeting about the cutbacks that took place in Quarryvale Community Centre on November 30.

Despite the bitterly cold weather, the protest lasted for more than an hour, with the spirits of the participants being raised by the regular beeps of support from passing motorists.

Speaking after the protest, éirígí’s national chairperson and Dublin Mid-West representative Brian Leeson said: “Today’s protest represents a great start in the building of a campaign against the cutbacks in this area. From the time that the housing estates of North Clondalkin were built, this community has been largely abandoned by the political establishment in the Twenty-Six Counties.

“For decades, the lives of the people of North Clondalkin have been blighted by the scourges of poor housing, mass unemployment and drugs. Throughout all of this time, the Dublin government and the establishment political parties have starved this community of the funding and support it required.

“Now, the same gangsters that created the current economic mess expect the people of North Clondalkin, and other working class communities, to pay for the bank bailout and NAMA. For this area, with high unemployment and large numbers of children, last week’s budget was a complete disaster. The cuts to social welfare payments will suck tens of thousands of euros of badly-needed cash out of North Clondalkin every single week.

“The cuts in funding to a wide range of community projects will also chip away at the very fabric of the area. It is outrageous that youth clubs, women’s groups, drug prevention projects, sports clubs and community development projects, all of which were created through the hard work of local people, should have their funding cut so that private banks can stay in business.

“éirígí is committed to working with the people of North Clondalkin and other working class communities in the building of a mass campaign of opposition to the cutbacks contained in this year’s budget and the budgets that follow it.”

If you are interested in joining or helping éirígí in North Clondalkin, or anywhere in Ireland, please:

Phone: 00353 (0) 86 236 72 98
or
Email: eirigimembership@gmail.com

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