Right2Water Galway was established in April 2014, following a national conference in Dublin. A meeting was held in Galway with a speaker from Bolivia, where a huge campaign had successfully stopped the privatisation of water there.
The group brought members of a number of political parties including the People Before Profit Alliance, Sinn Fein, Eirigí together with non-aligned community activists.
The group really started to get going in late summer of 2014 as activists did stalls and leafletted a number of areas of the city. The first Galway demo was held on the 1st October in Eyre Square with an attendance of around 200. It was the first demo in Galway and there had been no large mobilisations against water charges anywhere in the country at that point.
The massive mobilisation for the national demo in Dublin the following week really changed things. Estimates ranged from 150,000 to 250,000 at the demo with the route having to be extended to accommodate the huge turnout. This boosted the campaign as people were suddenly aware of the size of the opposition to water charges. This was followed by two more large demos, one at local levels and one at the Dáil in Dublin just before Christmas.
These massive demos had an effect, as the government changed a number of measures involved with water charges. They reduced the charge to a flat fee, and said people would not be charged for usage until 2018. The government backtracked on threats to take people to court for unpaid charges. Efforts to placate the movement against water charges failed miserably though as protests continued to be huge.
In 2015, the focus of the campaign shifted from large demos to resistance to water meters. Irish Water, through their contractors, Murphy’s, started installing water meters in Galway in the spring. Installation started in the county in Kinvara and Athenry where there was little resistance despite the efforts of a number of locals with support from Right2Water. But Clarinbridge saw a significant level of resistance, with meter installers kept out of certain areas.
There was a similar pattern in Galway city when installations started in Knocknacarra. In common with other areas of the country, Irish Water started with wealthier estates where there was less resistance. In more working class estates there was far more resistance and meter installers were successfully stopped in Garraí Dhónaill and Slí Búrca.
This continued as Westside and Shantalla saw huge resistance while there was little resistance in Salthill and city centre areas.
Resistance to meter installation was organised through a number of steps, but Right2Water took the lead from residents themselves. When residents got in touch to say that meters were coming to their estate, we helped them organise a street meeting. Right2Water would attend the meeting and help explain the situation with water charges and water meters and also what had happened in other areas. It was always the residents themselves who decided what happened in their estate. Right2Water were always clear that we would not resist meters for them, we would help residents who wanted to resist meters being installed. In areas where nobody was interested in resisting meters we didn’t do anything.
Using the networks of contacts we had built up through stalls, demos and leafletting, we had a significant number of activists who were willing to go to other estates and support residents there, while also leafletting and organising resistance in their own estates. We also held organising meetings of activists for planning demos, public meetings and fundraisers.
We held a fundraising table quiz, and did collections at all our events in order to fund the campaign, this helped pay for leaflets and placards. Buses to national demos were also subsidised to make them accessible for all.
Right2Water Galway is proud of its grassroots nature. Decisions are made collectively within the group which is diverse in age, gender, race, and political affiliation and activists come from all over the city and county. The group also has a number of members involved in the arts. This has been seen in the water goddess puppets which have become famous, while activists regularly dress up for demos and have written our own protest songs.
The groups democratic nature and artistic trend have kept the group cohesive while generating a big, visible public presence in Galway and nationally.
At the moment, Right2Water Galway is building for a national demo on the Saturday before the general election to keep the pressure on politicians and remind them water is still a issue. The group is contacting all local candidates to establish where each of them stand on the issue of water charges. Right2Water Galway will publicise the results when they hear back from all candidates.
Regardless of the election result, Right2Water Galway know that water charges will still be an issue and will continue to campaign against them.