Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Bríd Smith.

Mass movements are very powerful things. The impact of the huge demonstrations and the 73% non-payment is reflected in the Chamber. It is reflected in the hokey cokey of Fianna Fáil - for water charges, for suspension, for abolition, for suspension again and for abolition again, but it is going to vote against abolition. The bluster from Fianna Fáil today did not address that basic contradiction that people will see through. This can also be seen in Sinn Féin's position. Two years ago, this was not a red line issue, then it was a red line issue but leading Deputies were paying. Then they were not paying but not calling for non-payment. I welcome that at the last demonstration the Sinn Féin speaker seemed to call for non-payment. There are no bills now but those changes are welcome and they reflect the fact that movements drive change. It is precisely for that reason that movements strike fear into the 1% and the political establishment. It is not just that we have had a mass movement of civil disobedience against water charges; we have had a successful mass movement of civil disobedience against water charges because it shows that the 1% can be beaten and it gives people confidence.

That fear is the reason for the political policing and the repression that we have seen to cut across the right of people to protest and to say to them, "This far and no further". Over 200 people have been arrested for anti-water meter protests. Four people were jailed for three weeks for going within 20 metres of water meter installation. A spying operation against anti-water charges activists was run, called Operation Mizen, led by the Garda Commissioner's husband. However, right now, there is the most serious attack on the right to protest yet - a vindictive prosecution of a 17 year old young man over the protests at Jobstown two years ago, an attempt to redefine peaceful protest as false imprisonment. Let us be clear. There is no allegation whatsoever of violence against him. There are no public order charges levelled against him. He is only charged with false imprisonment.

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