Anti water charge group to present petition with 13,000 names

A group campaigning for the abolition of water charges will on Wednesday unveil a petition signed by over 13,000 people in Cork opposed to the payment of the charge.

The People's Convention has been gathering the signatures for the past nine months and will unveil the petition at its headquarters on Douglas Street in Cork city today.

People's Convention spokesman, Diarmuid O Cadhla said that the petition will be presented to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Mary Shields outside Cork City Hall next Monday evening.

“The petition demands that local Councils and individual members should stand with the people against the imposition of this policy and encourage the non-payment of water charges.

"We will present it to the Lord Mayor on the steps of Cork City Hall at 5pm on Monday next ahead of the scheduled meeting of Cork City Council.

“At the same time each member of Council will be asked to put their name on a ‘Declaration in Favour of Non-Payment’ so as to encourage people to maintain the boycott of Irish Water.”

Mr O Cadhla said that the government’s decision to proceed with the establishment of Irish Water and charge for water despite public opposition highlights a democratic deficit.

“Recent threats by Government to legislate for attachment orders are a further attempt to bully the people into accepting a policy which is plainly not of their own choosing.

“The real question here is one of democracy, the people have no say in how our own state is being run,” said Mr O Cadhla who earlier this year staged a protest at Cork City Hall.

Mr O Cadhla occupied the council chamber and refused to leave in protest at the council’s decision to remove People’s Convention posters advertising an anti-water charge protest.