Protesters Rally In Major Irish Cities Over Tap Water Charges

After Ireland began charging for tap water this fall, protests have broken out across the country.

"Protesters staged rallies in cities nationwide, including Galway, Cork, Limerick and Dublin. One of the largest protests was held outside the Irish Water headquarters," the Irish Independent recently reported.

A major protest day was planned to coincide with the deadline when residents were expected to finish registering for water charges, but the government pushed off the deadline until January.

The "We Won't Pay" campaign helped organize the protests, according to the report. The protesters are calling on residents to take a stand by refusing to pay their water bills.

"The meeting will be sending a message to the government that people will not be fooled by their temporary concessions and calling for an organized, nationwide boycott of the water charges when bills drop in April to defeat the water charges similar to how they were defeated in the 90s," the group said, per the report.

Another major rally is expected in Dublin on December 10, according to the Irish Times.

Paul Murphy, a member of Parliament in the Socialist Party, expressed outrage about the charges at one November rally.

“It’s a demonstration of the power of working-class people when they’re mobilized and that we can run this country...They thought that by making baby carrot concessions a few weeks ago that people would pay the charges but we’re not. We’re going to the beat the charges,” he said, per the report.

A money-saving measure, the new charges were a condition of a bailout deal in 2010 when the Irish government sought billions in funding from the European Union and the International Money Fund just to stay up and running. Previously, Irish residents did not pay for tap water.

"Environment Minister Alan Kelly said charges would be capped at 160 euros (£128) for single adult households and 260 euros (£208) for others. Water conservation grants of 100 euros a year (£80) mean the effective costs will be 60 euros (£48) and 160 euros (£128) respectively. The starting date is 1 January, with the first bills to be issued in April," BBC News reported.

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