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ORGANISERS OF A protest by council workers have said that librarians are living in a state of “fear and dread” as right wing protestors target libraries in anti-LGBTQI+ demonstrations.
Hundreds of protestors have marched through Cork in a demonstration calling for greater protections for workers in libraries who organisers said were facing ever more aggressive attacks by a disparate group of demonstrators opposed to trans and LGBTQI+ literature.
The event this afternoon began outside the local library on Grand Parade – the Forsa trade union organised event then marched down South Mall and to City Hall where speakers spoke to the large crowd.
Protestors carried Forsa banners, rainbow flags and placards denouncing the far-right and with slogans such as “no to bullies” and “Cork City Council – Protect your workers”.
At the beginning of the march a small group of approximately 15 counter demonstrators, including some well known far-right figures, gathered.
A large group of gardaí escorted the marchers through the streets as speakers with megaphones led the crowd in chants of “Hate Speech isn’t Free Speech” and “stand up, fight back”.
Forsa organiser and the union’s head of Local Government Richie Carrothers told The Journal that librarians were now at breaking point due to the far-right protests.
“We would prefer to not be here protesting but we have seen, since January, a series of rolling protests by a small group of people entering Cork city library causing fear and intimidation in the workplace.
“They are calling for a large number of books to be taken out of the library and they are shouting insults to the workers and live streaming these protests in Cork City Library.
“We have called on management to act but they haven’t – we have seen this happen as recent as last week as the far-right tried to break up a meeting,” he said.
Carrothers said the union was calling for an urgent risk assessment to determine the exact risks to workers and also called for greater garda protections at libraries.
“This is about workers rights and health and safety in the workplace but it is also about showing solidarity and support for the LGBTQ+ community because what we’ve seen is a rise in attacks on the community – there is a correlation between hate speech and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
“The Council need to act and provide a library that is secure,” he said.
Carrothers added that librarians were now at a point where they would be forced to walk off the job to protect themselves.
“What the staff are telling us is that they have a real sense of dread going into work – they don’t know what they are facing into on a day to day basis.
“There is no schedule to these instances – so when you are unsure what you are going to face and you have fear and dread and you are intimidated at your workplace.
“That is not acceptable,” he added.
Liz Fay, is a former librarian and is also Forsa’s local organiser for local Government and she said her colleagues work lives now feel threatened at work.
“We are here to show solidarity for our members in Cork City Library in Grand Parade – they have faced a series of incidents in the library by protestors that have taken offence to some of the books.
“They have shown to be aggressive to workers, our library workers feel as though there vulnerable and very much out on their own.
“We tried to engage with management but there was no response,” she said.
Fay said that there is an urgent need for training and risk assessments to “protect staff and in turn protect the public”.
She added that she was calling for greater interaction with gardaí and that new bylaws would be introduced to ban troublemakers from libraries.
Organisers said that librarians had not made formal complaints to gardaí about the attacks.
A number of local politicians including Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, Fine Gael senator Jerry Buttimer and city councillors attended the protest.
The far-right protestors remained outside the public library which was closed for the day – they remonstrated with locals over the whereabouts of a misplaced phone.
Gardaí maintained a discreet presence at the Grand Parade but later moved off when the far-right left the area.
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Some of my antisocial neighbours (well, their kids to be honest) who live in council houses had their homes retrofitted last year on my street. Meanwhile, on a medium income I can’t afford the scheme, even after the grant, still 5-8 k to be paid. I can afford maybe 1.5 k maximum. In other countries you can pay in installments or depending of your income, you won’t pay a dime. Yes, in other EU countries but it seems in Ireland you won’t pay a dime only if you are a scourge to society.
@Chris: And that’s why I refuse to buy into this farce. Our tax is paying for theirs and we can’t even afford it ourselves!
@Chris: Top Work Eamon – super achiever – 35%, Rural renovation grant less than 5% – you are so worth every penny we spend on you. Just to point out – you announced a plan for 1200 homes at Dublin port – but a few years earlier you produced a map of Dublin showing that area underwater due to rising seas now you want to biuld houses there, pull the other one. You’re an intellectual colossus.
@Chris: I wish it were only 5-8k..I have a standard semi-d, was talking to a guy from SEAI about the whole retrofit – doors, windows, external insulation, heat pump…17-20k..
@Chris: they’re a role model to me now,the incentive to work and buy a home is quickly deminishing waste of time paying a mortgage and under pressure saving to make it greener may aswel be hammering a concrete wall with a rubber hammer, at nothing
@Chris: Absolutely spot on. All the new corporation houses have to meet a GradeA classification ; so the benefits brigade get to reap all the comforts and financial benefits of an eco -friendly home whilst contributing nothing. Were things the other way round, all our lefty politicians would be screaming discrimination .
We have the most expensive electricity in the EU. If he really wanted to reduce carbon emissions then electricity must have cheaper electricity. If its cheaper to burn oil or gas then people will not switch to air to water. This guy is asleep at the wheel and really should be removed from his position. If you can’t do the job get out of the chair. People are gonna die of the cold this winter if it doesn’t radically change.
@Washpenrebel: 15cent per kW in Spain 45cent per kW in Ireland…
I fear I will only be able to afford to retrofit my window box the longer this farce continues.
Another government policy fails.. What a surprise!
I’ve had first hand experience of this, I’m speaking of personal experience, was getting rénovations and decided may as well get the retrofit. The grants. Every SEAI certified fitter quoted me 6-8k more than the non-certified who would fit the same stuff. Where’s the grant going but to just pad the pockets of those certified if it can be done for almost the exact same amount less without the grant! The govt taken for fools here. Taxpayers cheated. Joke of a system.
@TheGood Feign: But what about all the grants included – are you telling me that I’ll be able to get my new doors, windows, external insulation and heat pump for 17-20k?..somehow I don’t think so so I’m not going down the route of doing it bit by bit, will do it all in when I can, the grants amount to approx 30k so only option for me – they could improve on the contractors, totally agree they’re being played with them plus the SEAI should also offer loans in order to do the retrofits at a low interest rate to homeowners in order to carry out the works.
We have the most expensive electricity in the world. Triple what Ukraine’s closest EU neighbours pay. Our government owns 97% of electric Ireland, Irish people are being spectacularly fooled and don’t seem to care. It’s fascinating for other countries to watch, the fighting Irish, haha sure. Greed is the new Ireland, the greediest country on earth
Their great at announcing policies for a bit of PR, but very bad at implementing any of them, all fur coat and no knickers as Leo once said.
Shocking delay. We need to set up a public enquiry and convene a citizens forum to get to the bottom of this….
Far from satisfactory…… is that the new ‘ unacceptable ‘……
And handout to the rich.
And the terms are ODIOUS.
This isn’t helping the majority. Instead it’s helping rich homeowners with thousands in savings.
And helping them what?
Lower their energy bills.
What about the rest of us?
Well, we just have to pretend that we have access to public transport so the Irish Green Party fanatics that have never once stepped a foot outside of Dublin won’t lecture us.
Time to ditch Ireland’s Greenwashing Party and send Ryan back to his South Dublin mansion.
Was he awake when he said this? Or was it a dream?
After the next election retrofitting will be a thing of the past when Sinn Fein/ira are I’m power.
Is anyone really surprised
All initiatives, however well intentioned, gets ground out of use by our public “servants”.
So is he taking the blame here, it’s pn his watch
I wonder who the fool is , the citizen paying carbon taxes since 2010 that has not received one free solar panel and storage battery or the politician who taking this tax under the pretence it’s to save our burning planet using this tax for other things.
Everyone who own a home thirteen years later should have got some free renewable on their property. But what do we have banks offering green loans.
It’s a big crafty joke Irelands effort taxing us to save the planet. America, china, Japan , all big polluters who don’t pay any carbon tax.
We applied via the one shop mechanism and paid for the energy rating report. Every existing piece of works done to date was ignored. Cost of works to be done came in at 50k, after grants of 8k. Fees for the one stop shop admin would have been 4k. We don’t have 54k to regenerate a mid terrace house built in 1914. The grant scheme is a joke unless you are rich enough to pay for the work or lucky enough to to pay nothing because the rest of us will pay the inflated costs for your works in all the taxes, income tax, usc, house tax, and levies. Nothing left to save to pay for works as esb and gas hikes wipe out any such possibility.
@Jacinta Sheekey: keep emailing government for a free solar panel and battery. You have paid for this in carbon taxes every time you took the bus, drove a car, took a train, switched the gas on…since 2010. If more people ask we get this solar panel and battery.
It’s a start and once set up it’s cheaper to add a free solar panel the following years. That’s how renewables save or burning planet.
10k per house. Chicken feed.
Another “scheme” where to qualify you must be over 90 years of age, both grandparents still living and able to speak Klingon fluently..Simple really and it allows Waffler O Brien and Waffler Ryan another minute of “what We’ve Done” radio time
It really does seem as if they’re waiting for people to become homeless before helping to insulate homes.
Maybe the bould Eamo can don a hazmat suit & give a dig out!
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