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Updated 8pm
A GROUP OF five water charge protesters have been found in contempt of court and sentenced to at least 28 days in prison.
Bernie Hughes, Derek Byrne and Michael Batty were all sentenced to 28 days in prison by Justice Paul Gilligan at the Criminal Courts of Justice today.
Paul Moore and Damien O’Neill were handed down 56 days each. They were previously given 28-day suspended sentences in November, which they will now serve along with another 28-day term.
Batty, 64, was not in court today. He spends part of the year in Lanzarote because of health problems. His solicitor Cahir O’Higgins told the court that he apologised for missing the hearings this week.
Purge contempt
He added that Batty is willing to enter into a bond and give an undertaking that he will abide by the court order telling protesters to stay 20 metres from works. He will have to attend in person to purge his contempt.
Six of the seven – Paul Moore of Mount Olive Grove, Damien O’Neill of Greenwood Park, Derek Byrne of Streamville, Donaghmede, Richard Larkin of Dublin 5, Mark Egan of Tonlegee Drive, and Bernadette Hughes of Finglas – were in court today.
Judge Mr Justice Paul Gilligan said the protesters actions amounted to “harassment and intimidation of GMC workers”.
He added, “The court cannot stand idly by while those who disobey his orders walk free.”
Two others who appeared in court today – Mark Egan and Richard Larkin – have been cleared and were free to leave the courthouse.
There were a number of supporters in court this afternoon for the sentencing, including TD Paul Murphy.
In a statement this evening, he said:
The jailing of these protestors and the arrests in Tallaght is an attack on the right of communities to protest against the imposition of austerity measures, in this case the water charge and meters, which are being imposed by the government despite the massive opposition to them.
“The attacks from the state on the campaign against water charges needs to be met with a significant response by the campaign and communities, the protest which has been organised against political policing following the Jobstown arrests on Saturday can be a response in opposition to these attacks.”
Earlier this week, the court had been shown footage recorded by security firms acting on behalf of water meter installers GMC Sierra that showed protesters in and around work stations.
Justice Paul Gilligan said that he was satisfied that the Batty, Byrne, Hughes, Moore, and O’Neill were in contempt.
The four found guilty who were in court all said that they were not willing to enter into a bond or give an undertaking not to interfere with the works.
Speaking on the steps of the court, Richard Larkin said that his name had been “dragged through the courts” and that he had lost his job because of the case. He warned that if any of the four were jailed, there would be “hell on the streets”.
Mark Egan later added that he would not stop protesting.
The fire in my blood is stronger than ever.
Bernie Hughes’ daughter Jessica said that those in court were being made out to be ringleaders.
“In communities across Dublin, people are doing exactly what [those convicted] did.”
Right2Water
In a statement this evening, Right2Water said it was shocked at the jailing of the protesters. They described the sentencing as “an unnecessary and provocative decision brought about by an unfair water charge that has already been rejected and cannot work”.
“It is important to remember that these jailings are not as a result of any crime committed, but for a technical ‘contempt’ issue,” the campaign added.
Originally published 2.30pm
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I’d be hiring a kango and ripping the things out again, absolute joke.
Sure they only went and dug a fine big hole outside my driveway with the car in the driveway, didn’t bother knocking in to ask me to move it, took 2 days ringin their offices to get someone out, on the other hand their cones got a hiding
I misread ur comment twice as a kangaroo!! Made me wonder and chuckle!!
The purpose of Irish Water is to create an attractive entity for future privatisation continuing the neo liberal economic agenda which is tearing the social fabric of the country apart.
It cost €85 million for consultants to advise Irish Water on how to install water meters so that they can charge us again for the water supply we already pay for through general taxation.
The remarkably remunerated consultants and the numerous well equipped meter installation crews are paid from the National Pension Reserve Fund and the Property/Home tax which was allegedly destined to fund local services but that promise turned out to be another transparent FG & Labour lie.
Our water infrastructure will be sold to private operators within a decade to generate another lump sum to pay for the bank bailout which is also the reason that we are now being taxed simply to live in our own homes.
From that point on, the free market privateers will charge the citizens handsomely for our water and will have that glorious opportunity because of the initial failure of the free market in the banking sector. It’s an ingenious neo liberal Catch 22 and we are the chumps.
It’s time for the people to stand up now and refuse to allow the ransacking of the country to continue. Boycott the Water charge. Can’t pay. Won’t pay.
The Anti Austerity Alliance are building a boycott campaign against the water charges and are running 41 candidates in the local elections next May.
http://antiausterityalliance.ie/
Right on queue!
Don’t pay and boycott bord gais. People need to stand up and say ENOUGH
Pete, boycott bord gais?
so they shoudn’t pay for gas, even though water is the problem?
I assume you mean boycot Eireann Uisce and don’t pay Eireann Uisce (Irish Water)?
What good will that do?
Irish Water is a subsidiary of Bord Gais. In fact, when the company increased gas prices last year by 8% without any apparent reason, it wasn’t about paying for gas, it was a means to fund its new venture into water supply.
Nicky,
If people refuse to pay their gas bill to Bord Gais over a water dispute with Irish Water they look like complete and utter idiots,
Bord gais energy is in the process of being sold and as such will no longer have any affiliation with Irish water. Boycotting them will have no affect whatsoever. Sure we might as well boycott tesco in protest of water charges.
Isn’t Ming from castlerea?
No Martin..thats not what is inferred and you know it too! Boycott Bord Gais by changing supplier – simples!
If Irish people have any sense of pride..social justice and solidarity left in them..a large campaign getting tens of thousands of current Bord Gais customers to change provider, would soon change the landscape in terms of these water charges and who administers them!!!
Spot on Nigel
How would it change anything? Bord gais is going to be sold soon and will have no connection to Irish water at all.
I think he meant switch gas companies to some other provider rather than Bord Gas so they’ll lose customers.
Yes he is…..remember piss gate…….
4 years? Who’s in charge? Fire them all.
This is going to end up in the courts and rightly so.
A notice to all politiicians or potential electoral candidates for Europe and general Election: get rid of water metering and I will vote for you.
- Infinite spending
- Zero tax.
Its what Paddy loves to hear.
They get enough in tax. Manage the money better. We keep getting told the ‘economic crisis’ is over or we are turning the corner, if we turn the corner anymore it’ll be a circle. Anyway given the amount poured in to dept of social welfare or dept of health then it’s clear the money is there it’s just being managed poorly.
Now with that all said, polar bears cannot vote so you need to get that sorted first. Polar bears have rights!
Jeremey 2.5% of VAT goes towards water already besides what ever we pay in tax so it’s not infinite spending. Paying €8 billion a year in interest charges to the EU/IMF is what is killing us we should stop that for the moment and we would have the money to sort out our water issues.
John Tierney is totally on the case.
He’s hired an army of consultants to determine what to do about the dirty water in Castlerea, and told them they have a blank cheque book until the problem is solved.
Should only take them a few years to find a potable solution.
Maybe im stupid why wud anyone pay for a service der not receiving
Because they want a quiet life with no debt collectors.
Because the Irish are a servile race that just seem to do whatever is asked of them without exception.
I’ll be honest,
I agree with water charges, I think water should be charged for (as long as we get a decent allowance to start with) as far too much of it goes to waste and the water network has been under invested for decades so money needs to come from somewhere to fix this.
However in this instance in a place where a boil notice has been in place for so long these people can’t be expected to pay until this is resolved.
Locals should not have to pay a penny until the water is potable.
We already pay tax for water, this is a double charge
Rob, you can make the same argument for everything.
If tax you pay goes towards other services, so for example if I buy something I pay VAT money from which goes towards roads, health, education etc. Does that mean you shouldn’t pay for GP’s, charges for visiting emergency rooms, buy school books etc etc?
We pay such a low level of tax in Ireland that its insane to expect everything to be free, if you want better services then be prepared to pay more tax like any other country.
Bottom line is the water network needs money put into it, your options are increase other tax like PAYE or tax people for usage. Given water is an important resource in any country and should not be wasted its much fairer to tax usage and give people an allowance,.
Wow, someone with common sense at last.
Martin
You’re in the minority.
Sorry Martin, what? “We pay a low level of tax”? No we certainly do not, but rich people and corporations do.
Water has always been funded through direct taxation in this country. And in any case, the tax is not really about paying for water, but about funding the bank bailout. i.e. lumping the debts big business and the rich onto working people.
Hes not. He’s got his mate talking sense (kenneth the fg wondertroll) by his side
Martin, the water network does need money put into it, but the money being put into metering is NOT being used to fix the network. The installation of the meters alone is costing hundreds of millions, none of which is going towards fixing the 41% leakage we have in our water system.
How does €44 million going to IBM in consultancy fees on metering, help fix leakage in the water supply?
Water metering is not about public good. Its about creating another market for big business to exploit people. That is all that is happening here.
Kenneth?
they came in very fast to fix their meters oh yea, gone in 2 days. how long have we been waiting for them to find the leaks and fix them? will they fix the leaks found by customers once these are put in? will they f¨¨¨. this was always going to be a scam. Corrupt muppets.
this is a disgrace, why havent they sorted this water problem for these people before they started putting in meters?
unbelievable, hate this place.
We pay A low level of tax? Are you kidding me.
We had a water in this country that was replaced by a tax increase, they are not removing that increase now that the charges are back, therefore it’s a double charge martin
*charge
Some bad person went around and broke all the meters where I live with an iron bar and then poured grout in on top of them,
I got a water quality testing company to test my water and they told me it was not fit for human consumption…best €85 i ever spent!
I’m sure the locals will refuse to pay, and rightly so. Why should anyone pay for undrinkable water?
because they only drink a very small percentage of it.
All people suffering boil water notices get receipts for your bottled water and send them as your payments to Irish Water.
“These are not water meters. These are undrinkable-brown-gack meters, It is important that we gather data on private usage of said gack, so that, going forward, we can accurately gouge lesser voters for said gack. Thus ensuring good directorships with the companies that matter when we retire, good jobs in said companies for the family, friends and those with the dirt on us. And you have to keep the lads in the golf-club quiet about their bondholdings, stock options and property portfolio too.” – Government Mouthpiece.
This item completely encapsulates the utter farce which reigns in this country in matters of provision of public services, and completely exposes the canard that “Irish Water” or any variation of it have the slightest concern about service provision in this country. Revenue collection is all that matters. As for what has now emerged about the LOCAL Property Tax, ditto.
It’s raining AGAIN.
1, Build a reservoir or two,
2, keep our fellow countrymen alive by letting everyone have a drink.
3, Pipe the rest to a dry, oil rich country. Two barrels of oil in exchange for one barrel of water.
A local councillor. Hmm. Ask him how many planning refusals he overruled first, before he gets to comment on other issues.
I pay for water already. Have been since I moved into my house. It’s an excellent service and water is always good.
Of course it is a good service. Most water in the western world is a good service and it has to be. It’s the second most important thing in the world after air. You should expect your water to be perfect not happy with the service.
Obviously not Rachel Maceneany of Castlerea so
Ireland – a great bunch o’ lads.
You don’t know the half of it check out who’s been paying for bottled water for the 400 residents of castlerea prison. Yes you amd me @ 2 litres a day
So they’ll soon have the money to fix the water service. great stuff.
as an aside, only a small percentage of water is actually drank.
most gets flushed down the toilet.
So does pooh.
we want the money fcuk the people
Another classic case of Irish wit!! You simply couldn’t write it
Water is water. None of us drink from the tap anymore!!
You drink from the jacks bowl?? Filthy f**ker.
True, I put it in a glass first. It’s awkward drinking right from the tap.
remember local election coming vote this lot out
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