CLAIMS by a city councillor that a protest group against the Household Charge displayed a “mob mentality” in City Hall, have been dismissed by Cian Prendiville of the Limerick Campaign Against the Household & Water Taxes. Referring to their presence in City Hall on Monday, to register their official stand, Mr Prendiville insists: “It was a perfectly conducted democratic protest where we spoke out against the Household Charge but did not cause any disruption or stick around in the Council Chamber once the councillors voted and those in favour of the Household Charge carried the vote.”
He rejected comments made by Cllr Gerry McLoughlin to the mayor and members of the council, following the departure of the protesters. Cllr McLoughlin had said:
“I came into this chamber to vote for democracy but what we have just seen is ignorance and disregard for public servants.
“We have a mob here today – I was insulted on numerous occasions – who knew what was going to happen.
Mayor Long told the meeting that the next time “a gang comes in here they should be spoken to beforehand.
“This is deeply disturbing and I’m very disappointed that Limerick people carried on in such a way – it will not be tolerated again.”
Cllr Diarmuid Scully said that “councillors have to take responsibility if they wind people up and Cllr John Gilligan who with Cllr Maurice Quinlivan proposed a notice of motion calling on the government to rethink the Household Charge,” because it is an unfair tax which takes no consideration of a person’s income or ability to pay,” said:
“These people were not a mob.” Calling on Cllr McLoughlin to withdraw his comments, Mr Prendiville said that if the councillor refuses he will challenge him to debate the issues in public.”
In their declaration the protesters called on City Hall to “refuse to allow any of its employees to be taken away from their jobs to Minister Hogan’s Household Charge collection teams and knock on people’s doors.
Declaring their opposition to any such initiative on the grounds that it would be totally outside the terms and conditions of council workers and would place staff in a very difficult situation, the campaigners are calling on council workers to refuse to carry out any such instruction.
“If the councillors think they can send out staff to intimidate ordinary people they have another thing coming and SIPTU and IMPACT must inform the Minister and local authority management that any such instruction will be resisted by them,” says Mr Prendiville.
Former mayor and councillor, Joe Harrington, who with Cllr Gilligan successfully campaigned against the introduction of a water tax back in the 1990s, said that any councillor who votes to defend the Household Tax will be siding with the unelected bankers and speculators “who are dictating this policy.”
