An estimated 60,000 people took part in an Irish Congress of Trade Unions debt burden and anti austerity demonstration in Dublin today according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.Other demonstrations took place in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Sligo.

Irish Congress of Trade Union General Secretary David Begg told protesters at the rally in Dublin’s Merrion Square that bank debt problem had not been solved by the recent deal.

He vowed Congress would continue its bank debt campaign until the link between private bank debt and national debt was clearly broken. Speaking to the crowd he said:

“If you read some papers yesterday you would think we had achieved economic salvation and our problems were over. Nothing could be further from the truth. And we have over 100,000 thousand people on the streets of Ireland today who feel the same way.

“New deal, same problem: 1.8 million people cannot possibly pay of a bank debt burden of €64 billion - especially a debt they played no part in running up. There is nothing fair about this deal."

The demonstration in Dublin also heard personal testimonies from people affected by the crisis.