100 years ago today Free State Forces began the siege of Waterford City as part of their planned general offensive to take Munster from The Republic. After taking positions on Mount Misery over Ferrybank the Free State Army, with 700 troops, one artillery piece and four armoured cars, began to open fire across the river at the IRA who had lifted the bridge to prevent the Free State Army from crossing. The fighting would go on until the 21st when, due to the overwhelming firepower provided to the Free State by the British, the IRA were forced to surrender or retreat from the city, with their positions taking sustained fire from Free State machine gun positions.
100 years later the people of Waterford are still suffering the consequences of the Free State’s victory in the city, with housing becoming unattainable for the majority of young people and the entire city’s economy wrecked by economic policies implemented by the Free State to keep British and other foreign imperialist vultures happy.
Anti-Imperialist Action in Waterford, and across the country, are committed to reversing the counter-revolution of the Free State and moving forward to the implementation of Republican ideals, as outlined in the Democratic Programme of the First Dáil, including “the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland”, “the recreation and invigoration of our Industries” and uphold that “[The] right to private property must be subordinated to the public right and welfare”.