Statement by the Communist Party of Ireland
15 April 2016
The actions of the Gardaí in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, that resulted in the arrest of three activists on 8 April and a further twelve activists on the 13th, with one being detained overnight, expose the continued attempts by the state to break the resistance of those opposed to water charges.
While officially there is no “Government,” the state continues with its policy of demonising and harassing those who oppose and resist water charges. The harassment and arrest of water protesters has to be stopped.
It is clear that it was the water protests on the street and the mobilisation of tens of thousands of working people throughout the country that set the political agenda, the context and the outcome of the recent general election.
We need to mobilise and once again take the initiative away from the politicians and political institutions and press home our demands for an end to water charges and a constitutional amendment to enshrine the people’s ownership of water in the Constitution.
We cannot allow the water struggle and the political advances that have been made to be bargained away or emasculated in the labyrinths of power, where the establishment can cut a deal that suits their class interests.
We need to regain our own power, our own organised strength, and ensure that our demands are met. We need to be back on the streets: community activists, trade unions, and political organisations, as one united movement.
