Hundreds protested yesterday outside the City of Dublin Youth Service Board in response to the brutal cuts being imposed on youth services.

With chants of “No way, we won’t pay!” and “They say cutback, we say fight back!” ordinary youth workers showed that they were not willing to take any more cuts to their sector.

It is the latest in a series of angry demonstrations by working class people that has seen councils occupied and Phil Hogan chased out of Ballyfermot and Waterford by anti-property tax campaigners.

Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes and its members refuse to be intimidated by either the government or Revenue and will defeat what Enda Kenny described as "morally wrong, unfair & unjust” taxes on the family home.

Members or the Carlow CAHWT are currently occupying the Revenue offices in Kilkenny in protest at the introduction of the new property tax, which is being passed to the revenue for implementation from July under the draconian legislation published in last year’s budget.

Over the past 18 months, the people of West Cork have been in a bitter fight against cut backs in Health. The proposed cuts to the rural area included restricting the A&E services to a 12-hour service and to leave the area of West Cork with 2 ambulances.

A new branch of People Before Profit was established this week in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow. 40 people attended a meeting organised by local activist Keith Gilligan.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD was welcomed down and discussed national issues and the need for a different kind of politics led from below.

‘Enough is enough’ was the theme of the meeting and it was obvious that people agreed that it was time for a real change and action.

A general strike paralysed Greece today, Wednesday. The action was against new attacks on workers' wages and their union rights.

Workers in Athens told Socialist Worker that the strike saw the biggest march there for a long time.

“It took more than an hour for the back of the march to catch up with the front,” said civil service worker Tiana Andreou.

“The government is being much more aggressive with these attacks and that’s why people feel so angry.”

Print worker Dimitrios Argyrokastritis said his workplace and lots of others were shut down completely.

A strike by millions of low-skilled workers in India has seen banks close and public transport disrupted across the sub continent in one of the biggest collective actions by workers in history.

Over 100 million Indian workers, angry about rising prices, low pay and poor working conditions, walked off their jobs on Wednesday, on the first day of a two-day strike organised by eleven major trade unions.

The strikers are demanding a legal minimum wage, fairer contracts and improved working conditions as well as redress for a multitude of other injustices.

40 protesters from the local Campaign against the property and water tax greeted Minister Phil Hogan with an angry cacophony of sound as he arrived to formally open a branch library in Ferrybank Waterford.

From 8.30am chants and megaphone sirens could be heard throughout Ferrybank cries of “Phil Hogan we know you – cuts, job losses, money for the bosses” “Can’t pay won’t pay, property charges no way” “They say cut back – we say fight back” and “Bail out people not banks” were warmly received by locals and passing motorists who honked their horns in support.

About 80 people turned out at short notice to greet Phil Hogan last night at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel near the Red Cow in Dublin.

The Ballyfermot Campaign against the Household and Water Charges had called the protest and the main body of protesters from the area were joined by others who came from the Wicklow campaign and even a few who travelled from Ballyhea in Cork!

Cllr Brid Smith of People Before Profit kept the chants lively as we waiting for the minister to arrive.

Socialist Workers Party Ireland Newspaper issue 358.

Unions in Greece have called a general strike on 20 February against a government clampdown on strikers.The government had sent police to hand striking metro workers an order to return to work or face prison.

Athens metro workers struck last month against a pay cut for workers in public transport and utilities. Workers across Greece struck in solidarity with the metro workers.

Rail workers took action on Thursday of last week. Hospital workers walked out against budget cuts on the same day.