Anti-Lisbon groups plan to protest during Sarkozy’s visit

OPPOSITION TO a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was recently expressed by a coalition of left-wing campaign groups, which also announced plans to protest during French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s Irish visit this month.

“The Government is going to come back to EU leaders in October with a ‘solution’ to this problem and we reject this approach,” Brendan Young of the Campaign Against the EU Constitution said at a press conference in Dublin.

“We will campaign against any re-run of the Lisbon Treaty. We will seek the largest No vote if the Government dares to re-run a treaty that people believe is dead,” he added.

Richard Boyd Barrett of the Irish Anti-War Movement said it was “clear Brian Cowen does not respect the No vote”.

“If Cowen respected the No vote he would have gone to the European Council and said the decision is final. He is not saying that. He is trying to soften the Irish people up,” he said.