OVER 200 people attended an Anti Austerity Alliance meeting in the city last night to hear Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy speak.
Local AAA councillor Cian Prendiville said it was an honour to have Deputy Murphy speaking in Limerick. He also hailed the huge turnout and reception Paul received as “a sign that the people of Limerick stand shoulder to shoulder with Jobstown and against political policing”.
During his visit Murphy spoke about the Jobstown arrests, the future for the anti water charges movement and the need for a strong anti-austerity political alternative.
“Imagine, for a second, if rather than being the Irish State arresting opposition members of parliament and protesters, this was instead taking place in Greece, under the Syriza government. Police being sent on dawn raids into a community every morning to arrest teenagers, teachers, councillors and TDs for their involvement in a sit down protest,” said Deputy Murphy.
“The papers would be full of news of it, and editorials decrying it as an attack on democracy. This is part of a concerted effort to try to discredit and criminalise the water charges movement, and the AAA in particular, in the eyes of ordinary people,” he claimed.
“This is a sign that we have them worried. They are scared of the AAA. They know we are not like the others. We don’t simply talk the talk, we walk the walk. The establishment are used to parties speaking out against the rule of the one per cent, but then going along, abiding by their rules and forming some rotten coalition. They know we will not do that, instead we will fight tooth and nail for the 99 per cent – and that scares them.”
Deputy Murphy also appealed for people who support the ideals of the AAA to get involved.
“Now is not the time for staying on the sidelines. We need people to get active, get involved, and help us to build a major political alternative. We have to think big. Here in Limerick, ye need to be making plans to ensure that the AAA win a Dail seat here in the next election. That requires a lot of work, but I believe it can be done. Right across the country, we need anti-water charge groups standing candidates, and building a principled anti austerity alternative. We need people to get involved with us in building that alternative,” he concluded.
