By Michelle Crawley
MULLINGAR March Against Water Charges organiser, Barry Carr, anticipates that there will be a huge crowd in attendance at the peaceful protest which will take place next Saturday, 1 November, and others involved expect that thousands will turn out to demonstrate their opposition, with people coming from other Westmeath towns and villages to participate.
Similar demonstrations are taking place in Athlone, Tullamore and Navan and other midland towns.
Speaking to Topic about the event, planned as part of the National Citizens’ Movement’s national day of peaceful protesting against water charges, Mullingar man, Barry Carr, says that he expects next Saturday to be the biggest protest Mullingar has ever seen, surpassing even the crowds that descended upon the town last year to say “No” to wind turbines!
“I have been going around the town the past week talking to people, putting up posters, dropping in leaflets into shops to let them know about the march, and the level of anger that is there about Irish Water and the water charges is unbelievable. I tell you this, if all the people who said to me in the past week that they are coming to the march turn out next Saturday we will have the biggest protest this town has ever seen!”
Ben O’Connor, Mullingar organiser for the National Citizens’ Movement and Dermot Murphy, also from Mullingar, one of the national figures in the NCM, said that water is a basic human right and need and it cannot become a private commodity, controlled by groups interested only in profit and in charging householders huge amounts when any repairs are needed. “Ordinary people are now asserting their right to water,” Ben O’Connor said.
BINNING APPLICATION PACKS?
Barry Carr is asking all that are planning to attend to bring their Irish Water Application packs for disposal! “We will be disposing of our application packs as a unified sign that we won’t accept this”. While the organisers of the march don’t want litter to be thrown, he says that all in attendance can bring their packs and at an agreed time they will all take them out and bin them!
“We don’t want to cause any disruption to businesses or anything like that. We just want to get the message out there to politicians and the government that we are not going to accept this. We already pay for water in our motor tax. Around 5% of motor tax goes toward water and 2% of VAT goes to cover the cost of water, so why should we have to pay for water another time?” voiced Barry.
The Mullingar postman was inspired after attending the Water Charges protest in Dublin a fortnight ago and has now decided to do something in his hometown. “I went up to Dublin on the train by myself and I was blown away by the numbers that turned out. The media reported around 50,000 but it was more like 100,000. The whole of O’Connell Street was covered in people who came specifically for the protest. I remember spotting a sign saying ‘Why doesn’t someone do something’ and then underneath it read ‘I am someone’. That really inspired me. I came home and I went on Facebook and set up a group. I organised an event and within ten days, the page had over 2,000 likes and 919 people signed up to attend the event next Saturday – just like that! In the past few weeks I have realised that I am not the only person annoyed by these water charges. There are lots of people annoyed about it and it is time to take a stand”.
The Mullingar postman says that he has had loads of different people and groups contact him over the past ten days, including a group from the Killucan/Raharney area which met recently and had 94 people in attendance. Barry also has had quite a lot of interest from Rochfortbridge, Kinnegad, Rathowen and Castlepollard and expects groups from each of these areas to join the march on Saturday. The response rate has been “phenomenal,” says Barry, who within a few days of setting up the social networking page “Mullingar Says No to Water Charges” met with four or five strangers in the Newbury Hotel and together organised the protest march for Saturday.
ROUTE
The passionate campaigner explained to Topic that the March Against Water Charges will begin at the island outside Fairgreen Shopping Centre (Penneys carpark) at 2 p.m. on Saturday next, 1 November, and will encompass a march through town to Market Square.
Amongst the attendance will be Dermot Murphy of the National Citizens’ Movement, a group which formed to fight Irish Water in the courts. The Mullingar campaigner removed a water meter from his house at Lakepoint last June and sent it back to Irish Water. On 13 October this year, Dermot issued Irish Water with a summons that he was bringing them to court. “Dermot will be speaking to all those that turn out. There will be a number of speeches on the day but none of them will be by politicians. The speeches will all be by members of the public, ordinary Joe soaps, who want to get the message across that people are annoyed about these charges,” explained Barry enthusiastically.
FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT
Saturday’s event will be family friendly and families are encouraged to bring their children dressed up in their Halloween costumes. “We want as many people there as possible to represent the entire community. Bring your children and let them dress up in their Halloween costumes. They can get involved and be part of what will be a big day in Mullingar”, he voiced with enthusiasm.
‘Mullingar Says No To Water Charges’ will be meeting outside the vicinity of, Fairgreen Shopping Centre car park on Saturday next, 1 November, at 2 p.m.
