Watch our video recorded on the ground at Dáil Éireann during Wednesday's protest.

From Market Square in Buncrana to Market Cross in Killarney, grassroots protests over reductions to Special Needs Assistants spread across the country this week, with organisers struggling to keep an accurate tally of just how many were taking place. 

In Dublin, crowds converged outside Leinster House at 5pm on Wednesday, during a brief golden hour that held off the threat of rain. Parents stood with SNAs. Teachers stood with families. The mood was direct, coordinated and unflinching. 

Samantha O’Flanagan, SNA, and member of the North Dublin North Leinster SNA branch, was live-streaming to supporters when we caught up with her. 

School communities came together to say "no" to cuts. 

“This is one of the biggest movements that we've seen about special education at the moment. There are 30 protests happening across the country, most of them today, some of them over the next few days. Because we're not stopping here.” 

The chants rolled through the crowd without pause - “When children's rights are under attack. Stand up and fight back. When children's rights are under attack. Stand up. Fight back.” 

Jessylyn Henry, also from the NDNL branch, admitted the scale had caught even the orgnaisers off guard. “We absolutely weren't expecting the crowds that have come here today, and we absolutely weren't expecting another 31 protests across the country. So thank you. Every single one. Ten years I have been fighting as part of Fórsa to make sure our voices are heard. We don't just help with the primary care needs that are listed in Circular 30/2014.” 

Samantha O'Flanagan, "Every child has a right to access an education."

For many speakers, the issue went far beyond allocations and administrative circulars. 

Samantha O’Flanagan said: “Every child has a right to access an education, to feel safe in school, to participate, to communicate, to learn and to belong. But for many children with additional needs, those rights are only possible because of SNAS. 

“This situation didn't happen overnight. It's years of decisions made by the government to under-resource our education system and to treat support for children with additional needs as an afterthought. This was inevitable. This was allowed to happen by the people in the building over there.” 

Molesworth street filled with supporters demanding respect for SNAs.

Niamh McDonald, one of the protest organisers, warned of the recurring instability facing schools. 

“Every 12 months you're creating instability, insecurity and fear across SNAs, across schools, across parents and across our communities. It needs to stop.” She added: 

“We have seen leadership across our communities over the last ten days. We have seen parents and teachers coming together and saying: ‘no, we don't accept this anymore.’” 

At one point, Andy Pike, head of the Fórsa education division, held a copy of the contested circular aloft. “They like this circular. Why do they like this circular? Because it restricts access. 

“It restricts access to students. It restricts access for us, and it prevents those with what they call secondary care needs from accessing state support. This is the document they use. It contains the criteria that says only primary care needs merit support. You can't discriminate any longer.” 

The event closed with words read aloud from a child. 

“She has a big smile and she gives me hugs. These are the people that are being taken away from our children. Please - children feel safe with those SNAs, and that should not be taken away.” 

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