Call for ‘militant’ water charges protests

An anti-water charge TD has pledged to break legal injunctions against demonstrations as he called for "militant" protests.

Anti-Austerity Alliance deputy Paul Murphy insis-ted he would ignore a High Court order declaring a 20m exclusion zone around water meter installers as they felt intimidated by pickets.

Calling for “militant but peaceful” mass resistance, Mr Murphy said: “If they jailed someone for protesting against water meters, look at the political crisis that would develop and that’s the problem facing the Government,” the TD told RTÉ.

Mr Murphy said the Government’s U-turn on threats to reduce the water supply to a trickle for non-payers showed ministers were unable to “strike back” against campaigners.

“If they went into whole areas of the country and tried to turn down people’s water pressure they simply wouldn’t be able to do it and where they succeeded it would quickly be turned back up again,” he said.

As the war of words over protesting spiralled, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald expressed concern, saying some gardaí had their tyres slashed.

“I have to say peaceful protest is acceptable, but violence and intimidation and extremely aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. It is not acceptable.”

Health Minister Leo Varadkar insisted those opposed to charging should unequivocally condemn any acts of violence

Meanwhile, a Cork county councillor has removed the water meter installed at her home. Cllr Marcia D’Alton (Ind) yesterday took out the meter from outside of her Passage West home.