Photo essay of Anti-Property Tax Protest March to Dublin Castle -Sat 13th Apr

national | bin tax / household tax / water tax | photo-essay

Saturday April 13, 2013 21:10

by T

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The anti-property tax demo took place today (Sat) assembling at the Garden of Remembrance / Parnell Square and then heading off down O'Connell street and to Dublin Castle. There was a turnout of between approximately 5,000 and 8,000. At Dublin Castle the entrance was sealed off by a line of Garda. Crowds gathered just below where a platform was setup where a number of speakers spoke to the crowd.

The first speaker was Brid Smith, then Joe Higgins (SP) and others including Billy Cleary the pension who wrote the now famous letter to revenue warning '‘You will not beat us into submission’. His letter is reproduced below. Other speakers were Jimmy Kelly, Richard Boyd Barrett and two students in turn one of whom was mistakenly assumed to be owner of his parent house.

In an interview with journal.ie Cleary citing the 'grey brigade' the thousands of old-aged pensioners, who descended on Dublin in 2008 after the previous government introduced controversial changes to the medical card eligibility, changes which the Fianna Fáíl-led coalition ended up reversing said:

“I am disgusted at people not doing anything to get up… they’ll do everything when they are sitting at a bar drinking pints, this is an apathetic attitude. Why is it always left to us? The grey brigade as we’re called. We’re older and we’re bolder.”

Copy of the text of the letter sent to Revenue by Bill Cleary which has gone viral.

Date 8th March 2013

Re: Household Property Tax

To Whom It May Concern:

Let there be no mistake about this, under no circumstances what so ever, will I pay this unjust tax. I am not one of the people who was responsible for the financial mess that my country now finds itself in.

Politicians, bankers, the financial sector, all driven by greed, corruption and incompetence, over paid, overbearing bastards, with huge pensions and obscene severance payments, pensions ranging from €40,000 to €600,000 per year. Yet not one of them bas been arrested, charged or jailed for acts of treason against the Republic.

My income consists of my Old Age Contributory Pension which is for my wife and myself. I bought my home 9 years agao and paid over €7,000 in stamp duty and now I am being penalised for working hard all my life, giving my children a decent education.

I had to leave school at 14½ years of age to get a job, to help out at home. I did not have the privilege of 2nd or 3rd level education, at 15 years of age I was working in England and in 1969 I returned to Ireland to raise my family. I paid my dues and have been loyal to my country. I have nothing more to give except my life but before I give that up I will take as many of you bastards with me as I can.

If there is any interference with my pension, I will take my revenge on as many of you lot as I can get.

There are thousands more pensioners in the country who are just as angry and frustrated as I am, and you will not beat us all into submission.

I am 73 years of age and I have fuck all more to give or to lose.