March 16th, 2012 – Washington, DC
On Friday afternoon, two leprechauns fought over a pot of gold outside the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C. The first leprechaun, named Anglo-Irish Bank, frowned as she lost the battle for the gold, and the other, the European Central Bank, gleefully counted his winnings. The pot of gold, however, belonged to neither, but was pilfered from the Irish citizens. Around the leprechauns, a crowd, holding signs supporting Irish debt relief efforts and jeering at the thieving leprechauns, had gathered to deliver a letter signed by faith and civil society organizations to the Embassy. The letter urged the Irish government to end an unjust repayment plan that diverts taxpayers’ money away from those who need it- the citizens of Ireland.
Jubilee USA Network, who hosted the action, was calling attention to the “Anglo: Not Our Debt Campaign” started by Irish debt groups earlier this year. Anglo-Irish Bank (Anglo) financed some of Ireland’s largest development projects, from golf courses to shopping malls, lending recklessly and helping to create the economic downturn Ireland is experiencing. Rather than allowing Anglo to fail, the Irish government guaranteed that debts owed by Anglo to its creditors would be repaid in full, but by 2010, it was clear that Anglo was unable to continue. If Anglo failed, all of the bank’s debt would fall back onto the Irish State.
