An anti-water charges group has had its permission to march in the Limerick St. Patrick’s Day parade revoked.
The Anti Austerity Alliance (AAA) backed ‘We Won’t Pay’ (WWP) group has had its entry pass for tomorrow’s march rescinded with Limerick Mayor, Michael Sheahan, saying the parade should not be used as a platform for protest.
The Limerick Leader reports today that the parade organisers, the Galway firm Grooveyard, have emailed the group to tell them the parade “does not have a place for political agendas.”
The group say they had previously been included in the parade and had received their passes, with a reconfirmation of their presence as recently as last Thursday.
Mr Sheahan, a Fine Gael councillor, today said that if the parade is “going to be used as a protest, it is very unfair to everyone else.”
Mr Sheahan said he didn’t think the WWP group “are just going to walk down the street hand in hand.”
“St Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a time when we all come together with a positive spirit to celebrate our Irishness and openness, rather then (sic) issues of the day which can be quite divisive,” he said.
The mayor said he feared that allowing the WWP float into the parade could set a precedent of the parade being used as a platform for protest.
“Where do you stop? You could get the animal rights people in next year, the ban fox-hunting people, and the anti-circus movement,” he said.
The group has responded by saying it is surprised and disappointed by the decision, with WWP campaigner, and organiser of the group’s parade float, Amanda Keane saying the mayor was “intervening ... to protect his party and Irish Water.”
“We Won't Pay are a network of community groups with local branches right across Limerick. We have all been working very hard, making costumes up for the kids who were taking part, getting music organised and putting together our big eye-catching centre piece for the parade,” she said.
Ms Keane said the group had planned to use the parade to protest Irish Water with the theme of binning water bills in April.
“We had picked a 'Spring Cleaning' theme to our entry, with our adults dressed up as cleaners, and the kids dressing up as well. We want to remind people to remember to bin their water bills this April, and wipe out austerity.
“We made up a bath on wheels, which St. Patrick himself was going to sit in, holding a tongue-in-cheek 'wash Irish Water out of your hair' joke sign too,” she said.
Ms Keane pointed to the presence of protest groups in the parade in the past.
“Similar entries have been in past three years without any complaints,” she said.
“In fact two years ago the then Mayor came out and joined the entry put in by anti-property tax campaigners. So it came as a shock when we heard the Mayor had intervened and our float had been barred,” she added.
During the 2013 parade then Mayor of Limerick, Labour Councillor Gerry McLoughlin posed with anti-property tax protesters marching in the parade and was photographed with a placard reading: “drive the snakes out of the Dáil.”
The move was criticised at the time, with at least two councillors expressing a belief that politics should not play a part in the annual parade, while other Limerick councillors supported the group’s right to march.
The WWP group say they plant o continue with their initial plans, albeit setting up their float outside of the main parade.
"We won't let the Mayor ruin this for us, especially the kids - after all this meant to be a day for everyone, not just Fine Gael,” said Ms Keane.
“Instead we plan to set up our float somewhere nearby so everyone can see the entry we had planned before the Mayor got in the way.
“In fact I invite the Mayor to come down and check it out too, maybe get his face painted, if he can just relax for the day and stop being so defensive of his party and Irish Water,” she added.
