MEP Mullooly thanks people of Athlone for support during Mercosur protest
Midlands North West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has publicly thanked the people of Athlone for their support during the large national protest held in the town on January 10 in opposition to the EU Mercosur trade deal.
The Independent Ireland representative and former RTÉ journalist acknowledged that there was some inconvenience caused as a result of the crowds that gathered on the day but he said the town as a whole had shown "outstanding support, cooperation and patience" during the event.
"On Saturday, January 10, over 20,000 people from all over Ireland came to Athlone to support an event organised by myself and Michael Fitzmaurice, TD, and aimed at highlighting the need for rural Ireland, the Irish Government, and the European Union to reject the proposed EU - Mercosur trade deal," MEP Mullooly stated in a letter to the Westmeath Independent.
"The event involved careful planning alongside members of Athlone Chamber of Commerce, An Garda Siochana, local business people and residents, particularly in the surrounds of the Technological University of the Shannon, east and west campuses.
"Over the course of 5-7 hours a large number of cars, tractors, lorries and other vehicles came into the town of Athlone, using the N6 Athlone bypass and many local roads, and over the course of several hours a substantial crowd gathered at the International Athletics Arena at TUS."
He said that, on behalf of the organising committee, he wished to thank "the residents of Athlone and particularly the business community of the town" for their patience and support on January 10.
"In the build up to the day and throughout that Saturday afternoon we were very conscious of the effect of the additional traffic on the town and its environs, and I know in particular some local people and business people may have been delayed in traffic on that day.
"This event attracted thousands of people from all corners of Ireland, from as far away as Malin and Mizen Head and I also know that many stayed in the area, stopped for lunch or paid short visits to some shops while attending the event," he added.
"The outstanding support of the people of Athlone, the Gardai, Emergency Services, people who supplied parking and the business community shown on that day will not be forgotten by the farmers of Ireland, particularly those from rural areas who came to Athlone.
"For decades the town has been the commercial centre of life for many people in the Midlands and it's on occasions like this that the solidarity of the business community and the local residents stands head and shoulders above any other area."
He concluded by apologising to anyone who was inconvenienced on the day and extending the organisers' "sincere thanks and appreciation" to everybody who helped to facilitate the protest gathering.
"In the European Parliament, in Brussels and Strasbourg, I will continue the work started that weekend by opposing the EU - Mercosur Trade Agreement," he said.
"Your readers can be assured that the movement that started in Athlone will be continued until such a time as rural Ireland, and the farming community in particular, is not adversely affected by trading arrangements with any area of the world going forward."
The Mercosur deal was recently thrown into doubt when the European Parliament voted to refer the controversial trade agreement to the EU Court of Justice.