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Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Abortion Rights Campaign gives back €23,000 US donation

The $24,999 was donated by US billionaire George Soros’ Open Societies Foundation.

THE ABORTION RIGHTS Campaign returned a funding grant worth €23,000 from a US donor on advice from the Standards in Public Office (Sipo).

According to the Abortion Rights Campaign, the grant was received from Open Societies Foundation to fund “educational and stigma-busting projects”.

The story was first reported in the Irish Catholic newspaper.

The Open Societies Foundations is funded by US billionaire George Soros - a major backer of liberal causes around the world who supported a campaign by lobby group Sex Workers Alliance Ireland against planned new sex laws.

Sipo wanted proof that the grant wasn’t for political purposes, as under Irish law, it’s not permitted to use foreign donations for domestic political campaigns.

The Abortion Rights Campaign does not agree with Sipo’s advice, but said that “in good faith have returned the grant in order to comply with all regulatory frameworks”.

They said that it wasn’t alone in applying for foreign grants and that the majority of the Abortion Rights Campaign’s funding comes from voluntary donations from members and supporters.

The organisation, which has no paid staff and is run by dedicated volunteers, operates on a small budget.

Spokesperson Linda Kavanagh said:

Our focus remains on advocating for reproductive rights while striving to lift the stigma surrounding abortion in Ireland.

“Every cent we receive goes back into the movement towards choice, change and destigmatising abortion in Ireland.”

Read: Pro-life group wants to raise €18,000 to fund Facebook page targeting Irish teens

Read: Bill to change the penalty for an abortion to a €1 fine defeated by government

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96 Comments
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    Mute Seosamh
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:01 AM

    Big business are the only ones making serious money during this, small businesses fending for themselves.

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    Mute Michael Kelly
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:07 AM

    @Seosamh: So you don’t welcome the creation of over 1000 jobs? And Aldi from what I know are decent employers. I see the same people working in my local one for years.

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    Mute Nioe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:20 AM

    @Michael Kelly: they’re not creating jobs. People don’t eat twice as much food they just change where they buy. They are just taking market share from other irish shops, corner shops, markets etc which probably provide more jobs per euro spent.

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    Mute Dobby Dooo Dooo
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:24 AM

    @Nioe: We all have a choice of where we shop. I do a supermarket shop and still support smaller local shops for meat, fish, newspaper etc. And the local shops in my area are always busy…

    55
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    Mute Jim Beatty
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:40 AM

    @Nioe: nail on the head

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    Mute Nioe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:13 AM

    @Dobby Dooo Dooo: of course we choose where to shop. I have no issue with aldi or tesco or whoever. All I’m saying is that a certain amount of money is spent and certain number of people are employed in the grocery sector, which will rise with population. That does not jump overnight because a new shop opens, it just moves around with market share. It is not job or demand creation. It is market share expansion.

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    Jan 13th 2021, 11:41 AM

    @Nioe: There are other factors too. The country’s population has grown by about 30 percent over the last 20 years. That creates new demand.

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    Mute Nioe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 12:13 PM

    @Earth Traveller: I said that in my comment above.

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    Mute Berkieahern3
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    Jan 13th 2021, 1:19 PM

    @Jim Beatty: you can be sure the nail you buy in Super valu is twice the price of the one in Aldi though!!

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    Mute Seosamh
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    Jan 13th 2021, 1:36 PM

    @Michael Kelly: My gripe is not with Aldi, it’s the so called government.

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Jan 13th 2021, 5:46 PM

    @Nioe: who can afford to shop in a corner shop

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    Mute Stephen East
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:27 AM

    Local Aldi and Lidl they restrict people going in but once in its a free for all, Always felt these shops workers are under a lot of pressure as i see them running around like headless chickens almost running with pallets barely looking if anyone is there and when i have seen people talking to workers they almost look irritated like they are thinking stop talking to me i need to get the shelves filled

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    Mute Brian Madden
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:49 AM

    @Stephen East: I think the staff in my local aldi and lidl are very helpful. It’s not a free for all. People might browse longer in the meat or fruit and vegetable section. Do you expect the staff to move people along once inside?

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    Mute Sean Dalton
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:33 AM

    @Stephen East: its personal responsibility when your in a shop. What do you want staff with cattle prods at each aisle moving people along?

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    Mute Tom Houlihan
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    Jan 13th 2021, 11:41 AM

    This is incorrect. They will
    Not create ‘jobs’. You won’t eat more because there is another supermarket in town. You may just buy less in the other supermarkets and they will lay off staff .

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    Mute Berkieahern3
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    Jan 13th 2021, 1:17 PM

    Fair play, they seem like descent employers. Same staff in the shop in my town for over 10 years now. And nice people aswell.

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    Mute Mary Walshe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 1:41 PM

    @Berkieahern3:
    And a lot of their products are Irish produced. Every so often they stock stuff by small producers starting out in business.

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    Mute Virgil
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:38 AM

    As you enter Clifden, capital of Connemara, the first thing you see is… Aldi. Ah well, I suppose you can’t eat the landscape

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    Mute Joe Vlogs
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    Jan 13th 2021, 2:08 PM

    @Virgil: great thing too since it arrived. Locals are saved a one and a half hour drive to Galway or Westport to find a grocery store. Connemara is not just a summer holiday destination…people actually live here too.

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    Mute Declan McArdle
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:14 AM

    What about opening stores in Northern Ireland???

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    Mute thomas patrick
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:15 AM

    @Declan McArdle: take your issues to the Telegraph

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    Mute Cian Nolan
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    Jan 13th 2021, 9:55 AM

    @Declan McAr

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    Mute Declan McArdle
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:14 AM

    @thomas patrick: Belfast Telegraph or the Toryograph in the UK?

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jan 13th 2021, 11:09 AM

    @Declan McArdle: not in the eu so lol

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    Mute Aunties
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:02 AM

    Beep beep beep.

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    Mute Maalouf
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    Jan 13th 2021, 12:32 PM

    I always shop and support local business. That’s why I only shop in Tesco Metro.

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    Mute Michael Kelly
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    Jan 13th 2021, 11:27 AM

    Good news we need it

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    Mute Dave
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:48 PM

    A friend of mine loves working for Aldi but is always busy, she barely gets any free time and her day consists of “Manager required at till 3″ ” Till 4 will now be open”…

    Only for it to close 2 minutes later and a further 1 minute later shes back at it again ” Till 3 will now be open”

    4
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