‘We are locking her down’: Anger on show at Leitrim meeting ahead of national action 

On a rough Easter Saturday evening, after a delayed start, a fuel price protest meeting kicked off in a half-filled Bee Park in Manorhamilton to an assembled crowd of 150 people, who filled the space with palpable anger.

The meeting, which was organised by Independent Ireland councillor for Sligo, Michael Clarke, was held ahead of a national protest on Tuesday to block towns and main arteries over the government's handling of the fuel crisis.

Since February, the price of fuel has increased significantly to over €2.00 per litre for diesel and around €1.85 per litre for petrol, while green diesel is around €1.90. 

Government measures, including cuts on excise tax, and the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) brought down the price of fuel; however, it is on the rise again as the crisis continues.

“The government went with a half measure,” said Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, who spoke at the event. 

“Collectively we need to push the Government into action because this is about businesses that will go to the wall, farm sustainability, about people who are pushed to the pin of their collar,” he said before calling for the Dáil to be reconvened from its Easter holiday. 

The event was attended by political figures, including Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty and Matt McCarthy, and local Leitrim Councillors, Paraic Fallon, Felim McGurn, and James Gilmartin.

A vast majority of those attending the meeting were from outside of Leitrim, with people from as far as Roscommon, Kildare, Meath, and Kerry, with some attending similar meetings in Portlaoise the week before.

“We are here because of the price of diesel, but really it’s because our government isn’t listening to us,” said a Haulier from Sligo.

“If it is going to take a protest, it is going to take a protest,” he added.

The event included speakers from the local IFA branches, Hauliers, Leitrim Marca, members of the broader farming community, bus drivers, and The Beef Plan Movement. However, no members of the national organisations were present.

The price of fuel was the main issue discussed, but there was a sense of sprawling anger, covering topics like the price of cattle, immigration, and the Occupied Territory Bill. Meanwhile, a general sense of not being heard by the government also featured heavily.

There was also a contingent of anti-immigration campaigners present, with one suggesting that the government be blocked from entering the Dáil after their recess this week, an idea that appeared to receive little support in the room.

The pain and hardship this crisis has caused were evident on the night, with stories being shared of the damage to people's mental health that mounting financial pressures have caused. 

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However, the meeting was not all tension. There were moments of theatre with Cllr Clarke, who moderated the event, at times playing the part of members of government during back-and-forths with speakers. “I don’t care about your little protest up in Sligo or Longford or outside the Dáil,” he said, portraying Tanaiste Simon Harris.

Protests

A number of protests have been announced for Tuesday in Limerick, Dublin, and Athlone. There were also calls for WhatsApp groups to be set up to organise protests.

At the time of publication, a protest is planned to take place in Sligo town on Tuesday. An Gardaí were contacted for this article, but have yet to provide comment.

Some speakers warned that space needs to be left free for emergency vehicles during any actions and that disruptive protests carry the risk of legal consequences, though fiery rhetoric was the theme of the night.

“We have a government that will wave any flag bar an Irish flag, they are waving free Palestine flags, well by the time we are finished with them they will be waving free Dublin flags because we are locking her down,” said Chris Duffy, a farming contractor and online personality from Meath who spoke at the event.

“This is it, we have to move, we are all together, we will be on the motorways, we won’t be blocking motorways, we won’t be blocking hard shoulders, and if the government want to lock us up then by Jesus they will have to build another prison.”

Demands

Though a number of points remained unclear after the meeting, including the exact demands of the protest, with some people calling for government subsidy caps on fuels, a temporary abolishment of the carbon tax, and others wanted its permanent abolition.

 "The main point of all the people would be that the carbon tax be suspended for the duration of the crisis," summarised Cllr Michael Clarke.

From the meeting, it was not clear who would be negotiating with the Government, with many suggesting that dialogue was pointless. Though Clarke stressed the need for dialogue to come to a solution.

"Every solution comes with dialogue. The point of the protest is to get the two parties to talk to each other."

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James Gilmartin, Leitrim Councillor and political aide to Minister Marian Harkin, stressed that he wasn’t sure what the plan was after the meeting.

“There's just too many options at the table, and too many people speaking from different ideologies, and different viewpoints, and everyone wanted their own piece looked after, but there was no real joined-up thinking.” 

“I'd feel for people's mental health that would be struggling financially,” he said, while stressing his concerns about the consequences for young farmers who might be involved in a protest like this. 

“Everything is complex. It is the war in Iran that's causing this to drive up, and we talk about the government, and all there is, but the government have given resources to it, and they're looking at what's coming next week and the week after.”