Irish Take to the Streets

Tens of thousands of people took to the Irish streets Saturday to sound off against an IMF-backed austerity plan that would usher in deep spending cuts and higher taxes. —JCL

The Guardian:

Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Dublin today to protest against Ireland’s austerity plan.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) organised the march, saying the four-year plan of spending cuts and tax rises, intended to save the country €15bn (£12.7bn), “will do irreparable damage”.

The ICTU general secretary, David Begg. said the protest would be good-humoured and well organised, although there were some clashes between demonstrators and police on a march earlier this week.

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AP / Peter Morrison

Police officers form a cordon as protesters gather outside the parliament building in Dublin on Saturday.