Bank raid, gangsters and altar boys


By Jimmy Rhatigan, Editor Kilkenny Observer

WHEN it comes to anti-social activities our bankers are out on their own.

The banks that our people bailed out after financial institutions, along with politicians, destroyed our economy have Turned Turk on us.

Bankers have gouged our eyes, battered us, punched us below the belt and danced on our heads.

Their thank-you for our generosity or rather mandatory payments from our wage packets is that they stick their greedy paws into our pockets at every opportunity and grab our hard-earned cash.

Their Mafia-like tactics, their ruthless approach and their disgusting behaviour makes gangsters look like altar boys.

The recent hit by Allied Irish Bank on customers’ accounts as we fight a killer called Coronavirus has to be the lowest of the low.

It is as low as a snake’s belly.

AIB got a lashing on social media for charging customers quarterly fees in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis of fear.

Abuse and criticism

Disgrace was the word most commonly used to berate the greedy bankers and in many cases the word was preceded by an expletive.

The timing of the cash and grab couldn’t have been more ruthless.

It came on the morning when tens of thousands of people who lost their jobs received the Coronavirus Unemployment Payment.

The move raised the hypertension of customers who retaliated with a barrage of abuse and criticism.

Big numbers of people had up to €100 taken from money needed to feed hungry children and to pay for medicines.

The raid was described by some irate customers as akin to breaking into a family home at the time of a funeral.

You are going to Hell after today, your damage is irreparable,” was another social media message to the under fire financial moguls.

People’s Champion Pearse Doherty of Sinn Féin got stuck into the bankers and said the money snatched would be needed to pay bills and feed families.

Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue, the man who did the three-month mortgage moratorium deal with all banks hasn’t uttered a word from whatever bunker he may be in.

Possibly hard to blame him as the deal turned out to be a win, win situation profit maker for the banks rather than a help to mortgage holders.

Our belief is that the outcry by members of the general public could prove be far more effective than the usually mealy-mouthed words from members of the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil Cartel.

Bankers who have no problem ordering evictions and grabbing from our people at every available opportunity must be confronted.

We would never encourage violence but there are other ways in which bankers, politicians and their allies in evil could be chastised.

One wonders if any of the latter ever came across the word Karma?

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