Protest held outside Central Bank

About 80 people have gathered outside the central bank in Dublin as part of an “Occupy Dame Street” protest.

About 80 people have gathered outside the central bank in Dublin as part of an “Occupy Dame Street” protest.

The movement is in solidarity with the mass “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations taking place in New York since last month in protest against financial greed.

Dublin protesters have listed their demands that the IMF and EU “stay out” of Irish affairs, that ordinary people do not repay bank debt, that there be reform of the political system for “real participatory democracy” and that oil and gas reserves of the coast “be return to the people”.

As with protesters in the US, they say they are defending 99 per cent of the population against the richest 1 percent.

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About 30 protesters sat in front of the central bank with others standing around them chanting slogans. The protest began at 2pm but is not yet clear if protesters will remain overnight, with no tents yet set up.

There was a small Garda presence at the protest which organisers have said will be peaceful.

Organisers have asked those joining the protest to be non-political and not to display trade union or party banners.

Genevieve Carbery

Genevieve Carbery

Genevieve Carbery is Deputy Head of Audience at The Irish Times