Street protest over €222m cut in overseas aid

THE Government’s decision to cut overseas financial aid by €222 million this year prompted a demonstration on the streets of Dublin yesterday by members of non-governmental aid agencies throughout Ireland.

A total of 222 people – one for every €1m cut from the aid budget this year – gathered outside the Department of Finance to call on the Government to reverse its cutback decision at the official launch of the Government’s s Irish Aid annual report for last year.

The demonstrators were drawn from Dochas, the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Developmental Organisation, which wants the Government to “get back on track” with its overseas aid promise to reach the 0.7% target by 2012.