Price of fuel costing lives, say protesters causing gridlock in Dublin

Protesters with tractors have caused gridlock in Dublin city centre over rising fuel costs caused by the war in Iran.

Several tractors were parked down O’Connell Street, and O’Connell Bridge was cordoned off, as farmers and other fuel-dependent workers blocked the Irish capital’s main road for the second day in a row.

The protesters are calling for a cap on kerosene and for the increase in the carbon tax in May to be abandoned.

A spokesperson for the protest group said there were 28 such protests across Ireland and that if protesters go home today or on Thursday, they would be back next Tuesday, when the Dail returns.

“We will hopefully go home, but the word from other groups around the country is that if they go home today or tomorrow, they’re back next Tuesday. Government is sitting next Tuesday,” said James Geoghegan.

A leaders’ meeting between Irish premier Micheal Martin, Irish deputy premier and finance minister Simon Harris, and Minister of State and independent TD Sean Canney was held in Government Buildings on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday, around two dozen protesters stood on O’Connell Bridge as a handful of tractors remained parked on O’Connell Street overnight.

There was some tense exchanges between Dubliners walking through the city’s main thoroughfare and the protesters, with one woman telling the protesters that they had the fuel to drive up to Dublin so they should drive home.

One protester was overheard saying that they had “pedestrianised” the city centre as the Green Party had wanted.

James Geoghegan, a spokesman for the protesters and a contractor from Co Westmeath, said they would “not go home broke”.

“We can’t go home without a result. We simply can’t afford to go home,” he told the Press Association.

“We came up broke and there’s no point going home broke.”

Asked about Dubliners who may be unhappy with the disruption, he said “the price of fuel is costing lives”.

He added: “They might be struggling, but do they realise what a struggle actually really is?

“We’re not blocking emergency services, we’re not blocking people going to hospital appointments or anything.

“We don’t want to be in anybody’s way or cause any trouble to anybody medically or cause an issue.”

He said the measures taken by the Government in March did not make a difference “worth talking about”.

“We need (the government) to listen and act. There’s no point making a promise. Where do we cash in a promise?” he said.

He said in Spain, white diesel costs between 1.50 and 1.70 euro a litre, compared to 2.20 euro a litre in Ireland.

Mr Geoghegan said that he employs four people and his fuel bill will go up to 70,000 euro this year at current prices.

He added: “I’ve been booked to dig out foundations on two one-off single houses in the countryside, and we’d get maybe 5,000-10,000 euro to dig out of that job, which bankrolls us.

“But when we dig out the foundation, then in come the concrete lorries with concrete, that’s them making money. Then the blockers start laying blocks, that’s them making money.

“All this is putting tax into the system. Now these houses are being stopped. I’m losing work, the lads laying the blocks are going to be on the dole. It’s a domino effect.

“If the Government reduced the price of fuel and keep everybody building, keep everything working and keep the contractors in business, it’ll be far better for the economy.”

He added: “Fine Gael and Fianna Fail needn’t go back to rural Ireland ever looking for vote again, it’s as simple as that.

“The silence of the Healy-Raes is unbelievable.

“It’s an awful pity the election is so far away, if there was election in the next six months, this would be solved last night.”

John Dallon, a farmer and agriculture contractor from Co Kildare, said the Government was “well able to dig money out of the ground when they need it”.

“The Government are giving away millions and millions to countries at war. Now, no disrespect to them, countries at war or any of the nationalities, but the buck stops here,” he said.

“You look after the people in your own country, the island of Ireland first, and when them people are looked after, and our own economy is sorted out, then help out the other countries that are in need.”