Several hundred people attended an anti-water charges demonstration outside Irish Water headquarters on Talbot street in Dublin on Saturday.
Anti-water charge groups from East Wall, Tallaght, Clondalkin, Cabra and Ballyfermot were among those in attendance.
Organisers called for a nationwide boycott of the charges and for people to attend a rally against the charges in Dublin on December 10th.
Demonstrations are also taking place in Galway, Ennis, Donegal, Limerick, Tralee and Cork.
Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger said the planned protest in Dublin on December 10th will be a day of massive mobilisation “that could sink the Government.”
“We can make sure Enda Kenny and Joan Burton go the same way as Thatcher did with the poll tax and get rid of the water charges and this Government,” she said.
She said when water charge bills arrive in April, they should be greeted with a “mass nationwide refusal to pay”.
Addressing the crowd, Ms Coppinger joked: “I’d like to welcome everybody to the Isis meeting today,” in reference to Fine Gael TD Noel Coonan comparing members of the anti-water charge campaign to Islamic State jihadi militants last week, comments he later withdrew.
Ms Coppinger said the anti-water charge protests are not simply about water.
“It isn’t just about water. This is about who paid for the last six years and who paid the gambling debts of an anonymous elite whose names have never been revealed,” she said.
“Joan Burton wonders why she drove into Jobstown, one of the most deprived communities in this country and a red carpet wasn’t flung under her feet? Because you’re the Minister for homelessness, Joan,” she said.
Ms Coppinger said she shared the Dublin West constituency with Joan Burton and Leo Varadkar but that they “share different worlds.”
She said the housing crisis is an epidemic and described some of the people who had visited her constituency office.
“A man in his 60s who is a former plasterer, is now homeless. He has diabetes and arthritis and goes out to the airport to sleep at night,” she said.
Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy said the recent anti-water charge protests held in recent weeks have shown people power.
“It’s a demonstration of the power of working-class people when they’re mobilised and that we can run this country instead of the likes of Fine Gael and Labour. They thought that by making baby carrot concessions a few weeks ago that people would pay the charges but we’re not. We’re going to the beat the charges,” he said.
“We’re not going to be satisfied until we bring this Government down. Enda Kenny, we’re coming for you and your Government and we’re going to bring you down.”
Unified opposition
Meanwhile in Galway, anti-water charges groups have joined forces in an attempt to galvanise opposition to the new levy.
The group will now operate under the banner of Galway Unites Against Water Charges and includes members of the We Won’t Pay, Galway Against Water Charges, Galway Lockout, East Galway Says No to Water Charges, Glor na Tuaithe (Rural Voice) and Right2Water Galway.
On Saturday about 250 protesters gathered in Galway city centre for a rally as part of their unified opposition to the water charges.
“It is an opportunity for the people of Galway to let the local politicians and the Government know exactly what they think of the revised water charges at the GUAWC (Galway Unites Against Water Charges) protest,” said Dette McLoughlin of Right2Water Galway.
Speakers at the rally insisted that Irish Water registration forms would continue to be ignored until the charges were scrapped.
Organiser Suzanne Daly dismissed the reported number of 800,000 returned registration forms, claiming that no more than 220,000 had been filled in and signed by householders.
Urging people to join in the major protest scheduled for Dublin on December 10th, Ms Daly said: “We’re nearly there. We need as many people in Dublin on that day to put the final nail in the coffin of Irish Water”