It would be recalled that Joe and Clare were jailed for one month on Friday, 19th September, 2003 for leading a mass community campaign unpopular and anti-poor Bin tax which the government has imposed on the ordinary working class people. In addition, court charges worth 30,000 pounds have been imposed on the heroic representatives and fighters for the interest of the working class.
From all available evidences, the Bin Tax is double taxation for workers who in the past few years have been compelled to pay higher taxes and local rates. At the same time, the pro-rich government has granted big business the lowest corporate tax rates in Europe. That is why the Bin Tax is hugely unpopular and why the anti-Bin Tax campaign took the step of blockading refuse trucks when council refused to collect the rubbish of all those residents who had joined the campaign of mass non-payment and refused to pay the bin tax. To us, the court is only acting on the behalf of the exploitative, profit-motivated and rich private bin collectors.
The improvement of those activists is gross injustice and an attack on the right to protest. We are outraged that this kind of illegality and attack on democratic right to protest can be taking place in Ireland, a supposedly advanced and civilized "democracy".
This is a lesson to be learnt by every youth. In other words every youth need an individual role model to attain a dream. Persistence of Higgins and Clare Daly is a good example for the upcoming youths. Therefore the lives of many political prisoners must have thought the youths some lessons e.g. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Rosa Park etc.
Therefore we demand;
1. Immediate release of Joe Higgins (TD) and Clare Daly from prison.
2. An immediate stoppage of the Bin Tax
3. Dropping of the injunctions against anti-Bin Tax campaigners
4. An end to attacks an the democratic right to protest and organization
5. An end to double taxation.
The Centre for Speech will champion the cause of those victimized activists until the government frees unjust imprisonment and stop all attacks on anti-Bin Tax campaigne
« return.