Bondholder payments 'coming directly from education'

ELEVEN CHILDREN accompanied by their parents took part in a “teach-in” protest in the AIB branch in the South Mall, Cork city, yesterday.

The protest, which lasted almost an hour, was organised by Fermoy teacher Rob Hamilton and the Occupy Cork movement.

Mr Hamilton said the demonstration was designed to highlight the effect of current economic and financial policy on education.

He said one in four primary schoolchildren were in classes with more than 30 students at a time when public money was being used to pay off private debt. He cited as an example the €700 million paid on Wednesday to unsecured bondholders of the now defunct Anglo Irish Bank.

“The money is coming directly from public services and the likes of education,” Mr Hamilton said.

“We feel it’s unfair to take money from education to be pumped into the banks.”

Business went on as usual for the duration of the “class” which saw the group, mostly from Fermoy, sit on mats on the floor of the bank. The action echoed a series of sit-in protests carried out in Bank of Scotland branches across Britain six months ago.

Mr Hamilton said that after about an hour, a bank staff member asked when they were going to wrap things up, after which the group left without confrontation.

“The kids had a great day,” he added. “They enjoyed it, the staff were bemused by it and customers went about their business.”