Over 200 women demonstrated tonight (mid Nov ) outside of Coolock Garda station against the wave of Garda violence at water meter installation protests.
Over 200 women demonstrated tonight (mid Nov ) outside of Coolock Garda station against the wave of Garda violence at water meter installation protests.
In a Facebook post Pamela F described how
"The gardai were totally perplexed. Motorists beeped loudly as they passed, though most were simply looked stunned when passing this unprecedented event.
This event was planned off social media and was a complete surprise to the gardai of Coolock, who have had no problem hurting so many of us. It was a women only event to highlight the appalling targetting of women by the gardai to try to provoke the men into retaliating we suspect.
Fiona H, one of our women here in Baldoyle was present and read a very scathing but powerful poem after the event. Fiona is the young woman who was flung into a bollard by three hefty gardai at the Mansion House on Sunday while Enda smirked as he passed. She is lucky to be alive, you can’t have missed this sickening video.
This is the poem, it was recorded, so will be on FB and youtube soon.
It is dedicated especially to the gardai who attend the meter installations. They are now known as Mudguards.
The Mudguard
How proud was your mother on Temlplemore square?
Was her heart spilling over?
Was her face wet with tears?
As the oath that you swore at that day at that time
on a document sacred – no longer yours but still mine.
You were trained to look stoic, unflinching, sedate
But your eyes give away when our barbs penetrate
…and you’ll NEVER protect the very people you hate."
Photos – Aulden Grange Woodlawn against water meters
This video shows the hundreds of women who took place in the candle lit vigil against Garda violence in Tallaght on Friday night (22 Nov). It followed on from a similar vigil earlier in the week outside Coolock Garda station.
Great to see the women and children of tallaght in a silent protest against the rough and unfair treatment of them and others by the state and its forces against its own citizens
The town of Clonmel last night (28th November was the latest location for the growing wave of women candlelight vigil protests against Garda repression of community resistance to the water charges. More than anything else these protests, which have now spread to rural towns, demonstrated the failure of the smear campaign being run by politicians and media in the interests of Denis O’Brien and the capitalist class.
The organisers said:
"The Stand is being made by and for the women of our town to make a stand, a stand to highlight that the tinsel and sweet promises that are being offered by those we have elected to govern, are not offering the true meaning of representation.
They are standing for what is missing in our society, a society where the actions of one are judged on an equal basis as the actions of others. Over the last 6 weeks we have seen in Clonmel the actions of a private company, who have been contracted on behalf of the government to install meters. These are ordinary workers but like in all organisations we have seen individuals rise to the top and show they care not for the law, the rights of the individual, nor for even what ever good name their company may have, what is cared for is the near 600 euro per unit that is collected for installation.
An so after receiving and witnessing threats, cursing, intimidation, insults, after seeing the infirm, the older members of our community insulted and locked in their homes, the women of Clonmel are having their say.
Remember the word Democracy derives from the Greek meaning People Power, it does not mean as we are seeing in practice the wholesale protection of a private company, it does not mean rushing bills through on Christmas day with out Due and open Discussion, it does not imply that once elected the elections promises made can be the but of a joke and mentioned as such on National media..
We have seen so much happen our state that the time has come for the mothers, sisters, aunts, grannies, daughters to arise and remember those women in Irish History who stood when few would."
WORDS Andrew Flood (Follow Andrew on Twitter )