Gerry Adams compares water marches to civil rights protests in North

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has compared the anti-water charge protests in the Republic to the civil rights marches in the North.

He said the Government’s new charging system, announced on Wednesday, had failed to diffuse a “sense of empowerment” felt by protesters.

Speaking after a Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle meeting in Dublin today, Mr Adams called for the “largest assembly of citizens that is possible to get together” for the planned protest on December 10th.

He said people “have a sense of having the Government on the run” on the issue.

“People are saying you can’t treat us like this. So it is clearly about water but it is about much more than that”, he said.

Mr Adams said changes to the charging system and promises of cuts in the bureaucracy of the new utility was “tweaking at the edges” of the problem.

He described Irish Water as "a toxic brand" but said the issue was wider than the company. " It is about the rights of Irish citizens."

He said many of those protesting over water charges had never be in a demonstration before but now had a sense that something has to change.

“It has got to do with six years of austerity. It has got to do with the revelations of corruption that happened before that.

“It has got to do with the fact that this Government is very compliant and very deferential to the elite... .. and all the time they are cutting, cutting guarantees for social protection” he said.

He said protesters felt a “sense of empowerment” from being on the streets “similar to 1916” and to that experienced “in the North 40 years ago”.

He compared the Government’s handling of the water charges issue to “a skit, written by Spike Milligan or Flan O’Brien”.

Mr Adams endorsed the action of some 300 women who held a candle light vigil outside Tallaght Garda station on last night, mirroring an earlier vigil in Coolock.

He said all the protests “need to be family friendly”.

He said anyone who planned to engage in “other than very, very peaceful dignified protest” should not attend anti water charges protests as they would be doing them protesters a disservice

Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin Lyn Boylan said the strength of people’s determination to have a peaceful protest was illustrated by the women in Tallaght who had held their vigil in the rain. “It poured down and their spirits weren’t quelled. They were saying we still can’t pay”, she said.

‘Mary Lou McDonald said the Government was not listening to people saying they cannot pay the new charge.