Ireland: Occupy Dame Street Responds to Austerity & Bail-Outs With Bank Occupation

Occupy Dame Street before eviction last month

Today over €1.5billion of Irish taxpayer money will be paid to unsecured bondholders by Allied Irish Bank, which has already been taken over by the State. Like much of Europe and North America, Ireland has been swept into harsh austerity measures demanded by the European Central Bank and other powerful financial elites. These policies greatly impact low-income people, the unemployed, students, people with disabilities, pensioners, and the rest of the 99%, while simultaneously delivering billions to wealthy shareholders and bankers in the form of bail-outs to the financial industry. The combination of austerity and bail-outs, whether in the United States, Ireland, or Greece, is one of the largest transfers of public money into the hands of private banks ever seen. Last January, Irish taxpayers already paid €1.25billion to bondholders of the now-defunct Anglo Irish Bank.

In response to this theft of tax-payer money by the 1%, #OccupyDameStreet has occupied an Allied Irish Bank International in Dublin. Around 3:30pm local time, (10:30am New York time), security arrived and asked what it would take for the Occupiers to leave -- to which Occupiers replied, ¨Stop the payment!¨

Whether Wall Street or Dame Street, YOU TAKE OUR HOMES AND WE'LL TAKE YOUR BANKS! If you are in Dublin and want to be part of the action and future events, text "Occupy" to 0831179648. Follow on Twitter: @OccupyDameStr and Facbook

#OccupyDameStreet occupying a bank for several hours today for leaving voluntarily