Thousands protest against cuts

THOUSANDS of people turned up at a series of protests across Co Donegal yesterday to voice their opposition to the latest tax hikes and health cuts.

Rallies took place in a number of towns and villages including Letterkenny, Buncrana, Ramelton, Convoy, Castlefin, Raphoe and Gleneely.

The protests included campaigners from Donegal Action for Cancer Care, the Abolish Vehicle Registration Tax Campaign, Can’t Pay Won’t Pay and the Forum for Change.

The groups say the series of smaller protests will culminate in one major rally in the coming weeks.

Ryan Stewart of the Abolish VRT Campaign, speaking at the Letterkenny protest, said: “One thing that we as a people and a county cannot afford to do any longer is to sit idly by, while the Government takes our hard-earned money to pay the debts of a reckless banking system.

“There are other ways, and one of the key messages the group wants to get out is the disproportionality of these cuts. The rich keep getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.

“The Government is relying on our apathy to get these budgetary measures in place. The message from our group is clear — enough is enough,” he said.

One speaker, unemployed builder Joe Murphy from Buncrana, who recently organised a protest slow drive from Donegal to Dublin, said: “We are taking action now ahead of further protests, and the support from the public so far has been tremendous, but we must keep the pressure on.

“Our group is expanding all the time, and we would welcome any other interest groups, and indeed any members of the public who would like to participate more actively in what we are doing to make contact with us. ”