Two Independent deputies to lead Higgins Dail protest

Two independent Dáil deputies are to lead a demonstration outside the Dáil tomorrow night in protest over the continuing imprisonment of Socialist Party TD, Mr Joe Higgins, during Dáil sittings.

The failure of the the authorities to make some provision for Mr Higgins to attend the Dáil, which reconvenes today, has been branded as "outrageous" and "disgraceful" by independent TDs Mr Tony Gregory and Mr Finian McGrath.

Mr Higgins and Socialist Party councillor, Ms Clare Daly, are serving a one-month sentence in Mountjoy Prison, for defying a High Court order banning them from obstructing the waste collection service of Fingal County Council. "Joe Higgins has an important role in the Dáil as leader of the independent group and part of the technical group," Mr Gregory said. "It is a disgrace that anyone of his commitment and ability, is not released, if only for Dáil sitting times so he can carry out the work he has been elected to do."

Mr McGrath said it was outrageous that someone who had earned such cross-party respect would be jailed for "civil disobedience". He also criticised the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, for recently referring to those who refused to pay their bin charges as "spongers".

"The Taoiseach would want to watch his language in relation to spongers. He's made 37,000 people in Dublin very angry."

Mr Mick O'Reilly of the ATGWU, which is supporting the meeting outside the Dáil at 6.30 p.m. tomorrow, said the union wanted to disassociate itself from comments made by ICTU general secretary, Mr David Begg. Mr Begg has called on Mr Higgins and Ms Daly, to purge their contempt of the High Court to "cool things down".

"What he said is a scurrilous attack on Joe Higgins, Clare Daly and on working class people," Mr O'Reilly said. "It is very wrong-headed that people who fight for the policies of the ICTU should be abandoned."

The Fingal Anti-Bin Tax Campaign will be calling on the Government to call off its non-collection policy at tomorrow night's meeting. Protesters in the Fingal area were holding refuse trucks in Finglas and Baldoyle yesterday. Campaign leader Ms Ruth claimed that Fingal Co Council were "completely boycotting" Santry because of the campaign and that Mulhuddart and Swords were not receiving 100 per cent service.

The campaign's refuse truck blockades spread to Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown Co Council and South Dublin Co Council yesterday.A number of trucks were stopped in housing estates in Dundrum yesterday despite the decision by Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown Co Council to postpone plans to discontinue bin collections.

"We had planned to commence a programme of discontinuance of the service, but all last week we were overwhelmed with people wanting to pay.

"We were simply unable to take all the phone calls, we had to take on extra staff to deal with the volume," a spokesman for the council said.