Carnival of Resistance to unfair debts

The Carnival of Resistance began today in Dublin city centre to protest 1.25 billion Euro being "given" this week by the Irish people to Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society senior unsecured bondholders. This payment is just part of an astonishing 47.9 billion Euro that is scheduled to be paid over 20 years to cover the debts of these two now-defunct institutions, costs that are being unfairly socialised onto the Irish people, who did not incur or benefit from these debts, while the payment costs are causing immediate and unnecessary economic suffering across the country.


The following scheduled payment is 3.1 billion Euro on the 31st March, which is almost exactly equivalent to the Irish Government's recent budget cuts in health, social protection and overseas development assistance combined with the 'savings' in education. Or to put it another way, the money about to be handed to these bondholders, who we are under no obligation to pay and who are not included in the IMF/ECB bailout deal, could alternatively be used to run Ireland's primary school system for a year. The Carnival of Resistance aims to highlight and object to these payments, and the longer-term management of these debts.


The three day festival of music, talks and art will continue until Wednesday 25th January at the old Anglo Irish Bank building, on Stephen's Green in Dublin, now one of the offices of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, which was formed to wind up Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide. The payment is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 25th. The Carnival is organised by a diverse group of individuals and is supported by various groups, such as Occupy Dame Street and the Not Our Debt campaign. The Carnival is designed particularly to be family-friendly and all are welcome to attend.


There were live performances today by The Velvetones and Twin Headed Wolf, among others, and upcoming acts include The Barley Mob, members of Kila, the McVeigh Sisters, Jupiter and the Infinite, Eritrea and the Fibbs.


Occupy University will be hosting a series of lectures. On Tuesday at 1.30p.m. Mick O'Reilly will speak, and Conor McCabe will talk at 5.30p.m. Wednesday will feature Michael Taft at 1.30p.m., Andy Storey at 4p.m. and Siobhan O'Donoghue at 5.30p.m.

In related news, there will be a public meeting of the Anglo: Not Our Debt campaign tomorrow Tuesday 24th January in the Teachers' Club, Parnell Square in Dublin, at 7pm.

Street artist Canvaz did the above piece on Abbey Street, near Capel Street, to add his voice to the opposition to these unfair debts. It reads "Give a man an education and he will build a new world but give a man and loan and you can own that man forever. Not our debt."



More photos of the Carnival of Resistance.

Read more on Booming Back:
Give a Man a Loan and an article on Anglo: Not Our Debt.

And also see:
Anglo: Not Our Debt campaign.