A-Infos (en) Intense community struggle in Dublin, Ireland

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An intense struggle is underway in Dublin, Ireland against a government policy
of piling the local tax burden even heavier on the shoulders of ordinary
workers.  A flat rate local tax, the bin tax, is being introduced in addition
to the pay related taxation raised by central government.
A mass non-payment campaign has been in existence for three years across the 4
council areas in the city.  Last week the council in one of these areas
started to refuse to collect the bins of non-payers.  In response bin trucks
are being blockaded by the residents of the estates where they are refusing to collect bins.
The week meetings are being held in just about every area of the city (the
exceptions are mostly wealthy suburbs).  Some of these have seen hundreds of
people attend.  Police have been used to break up blockades which have spread
from the areas where non-collection is happening as other areas act in
sympathy with them.  This Friday we expect the first jailings of activists.

You can read more about this and view pictures of the struggle at the web site
of the Irish anarchist group Workers Solidarity Movement.  Some of our members
are key activists in some of these areas and the site includes a number of
reports from the ground.  Below is an index of the recent personal reports,
there is a huge number of older reports and background articles at
http://struggle.ws/wsm/bins.html

The articles are well worth reading for any anarchist serious about community
organising and should be of some value to those already involved in such
organising.

Bin tax - the WAR has begun
After being beaten on every front and with non-payment still remaining very
high, Fingal council became the first one to try and implement their new
tactic of non-collection of the rubbish. This morning there are eight
different trucks which are blockaded into various estates in the north Dublin
area known as Fingal
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/binsSEPT10.html

Bin tax protesters in Cabra blockade two trucks [with pics]
As Fingal council took a High Court case against bin tax protesters this
morning bin tax campaigners in Cabra blockaded two trucks in solidarity with
Fingal campaigners. Our intention is to hold onto at least one of these two
trucks all day.
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/sept12dunard.html

Anti bin tax protest in Ringsend
This morning the council announced that they would begin implementing
non-collection of bins in the Ringsend area of the city. Anti-bin tax
activists mobilised to blockade the trucks to force them to collect all the bins.
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/ringsendSEPT16.html

Massive anti-bin tax meeting in Cabra
The decision to flex the muscle of the campaign by this action was taken on
Monday night at a meeting in Cabra. The massive meeting of between 500 to 600
people took place in St. Finbarr's GAA Club.
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/cabrasept16meet.html

Cabra activists blockade bin truck [with pics]
All bins are still being collected in Cabra (and the Dublin city area) but we
felt it was important to send a message of solidarity to Fingal activists and
also send a warning to the council that we were prepared for them.
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/sept12dunard.html

Bin tax protesters lobby at depots [with pics]
Yesterday Fingal council attempted to start refusing to collect the bins of
those who not paying the bin tax. This morning the campaign in the Dublin city
area swung into action. Our first move was a lobby of the depots that the
trucks leave from each morning
http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2003/lobbybinSEPT11.html

Regular updates from the campaign will be posted to our low volume mailing
list which you can join at http://www.struggle.ws/mailman/listinfo/ainriail
You can also read more about the struggle at http://indymedia.ie


 > From: Andrew <andy-A-dojo.tao.ca>
http://anarchism.ws
New global anarchist index

http://www.struggle.ws
3000 + pages on anarchism, Ireland, Zapatistas
revolutionary history and struggles around globalisation


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