Jailed activists are on hunger strike

Posted by Jim on February 21, 2015

Anti-austerity activists have embarked on a hunger strike in protest at
their incarceration at Wheatfield prison in Dublin, and are now also
threatening to refuse fluids.

Five protestors were ordered to be locked up for up to 56 days by a
court earlier this week as a result of violating orders to stay away
from sites where water meter installations are taking place.

It was announced today that two of the prisoners, Derek Byrne and Paul
Moore, are now on hunger strike.

In a statement, Derek Byrne said the men have been confined to a cell
for the last three days “on complete lock down” in Wheatfield Prison in
Clondalkin, after being moved out of Mountjoy Jail in Dublin’s north
city centre, because of what he said was “a political decision”.

A number of protests have already taken place in Dublin city and outside
Mountjoy jail against their imprisonment. In the largest display so
far, a crowd of ten thousand gathered at short notice this afternoon in
support of the activists.

“We have taken the steps to go on hunger strike and have been on hunger
strike since yesterday,” Mr Byrne said in a statement.

“If we are not moved back to Mountjoy Training Unit, as we were told we
would be, then on Monday morning we will be taking it further and
refusing fluids until we are moved back to Mountjoy.”

He said it was harder for their families to make the journey to
Clondalkin to visit them.

“Every decision made, from our court cases to our incarceration, has
been of a political nature,” he said.

His two young children are now “in an emotionally distraught state” and
the family is suffering financially. But he said he refused to back down
from a “point of principle”. He also asked for protests at shopping
centers and “silent peaceful candlelit vigils” outside houses owned by
those politicians that he blamed for their incarceration.

RALLIES DEMANDS EQUALITY

The protest in Dublin city centre today was led by the families of
jailed anti-water charge activists and marched to a rally at Mountjoy
Jail.

A number of organisations including the Anti Austerity Alliance, the
Socialist Workers Party, trade union Unite and Eirigi addressed the
workers outside the Central Bank in advance of the march.

The location of the rally was intended to highlight the disparity
between the treatment of the protestors versus the bankers who escaped
unpunished after perpetrating a fraud which has cost the 26 County state
billions of euro.

The umbrella ‘Right2Water’ campaign urged all those at the march to
remain calm and peaceful.

Another demonstration was also taking place today in Castlebar, where
the annual conference of the governing Fine Gael party is being held. Up
to a thousand protesters gathering outside the constituency offices of
Taoiseach Enda Kenny before marching on the Royal Hotel, where the
conference is taking place.

About 300 members of the groups Right2Water, People Before Profit and
Forgotten Farmers were met by barricades and a large contingent of
gardai.