Meanwhile, At The Jobstown Trial

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Minister for Children Katherine Zappone arriving at the Central Criminal Court of Justice today

Earlier today.

The trial of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and six other men – who are  charged with falsely imprisoning Ms Burton during a water charges protest in Jobstown, Tallaght in November 2014 – continues.

The six other men are Kieran Mahon, of Bolbrook Heights, Tallaght; Michael Murphy, of Whitechurch Way, Ballyboden; Scott Masterson, of Carrigmore Drive, Tallaght; Ken Purcell, of Kiltalown Green, Tallaght; Frank Donaghty, of Alpine Rise, Tallaght; and Michael Banks, of Brookview Green, Tallaght.

They deny the charges.

RTÉ reports:

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone has told the Circuit Criminal Court she was “deeply concerned and frightened for the safety” of former tánaiste Joan Burton during a water charges protest in Tallaght in 2014.

However, it was put to her that she previously refused to condemn the protesters during a  pre-election television debate.

She was giving evidence in the trial of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and six other men who are charged with falsely imprisoning Ms Burton and her assistant during a water charges protest in November 2014.

Ms Zappone, who was an independent Senator at the time, said she dialled 999 twice as she felt deeply concerned for the safety of the then-tánaiste after protesters surrounded her car as she left a graduation ceremony in Jobstown.

However, defence counsel Sean Guerin played an excerpt from a pre-election television debate in which Ms Zappone was accused by an audience member and one of the protesters of “condemning us”.

In reply the then-senator said “I do not condemn at all what was going on in Jobstown that day”.

However, in the witness box today she did not agree with Mr Guerin that this was a public refusal to condemn the protesters.

Zappone ‘deeply concerned and frightened’ for Burton at protest (RTE)

Leah Farrell/Rollingnews

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30 thoughts on “Meanwhile, At The Jobstown Trial

  1. Happy Molloy

    That’s not all that complicated – you can support protests while condemning when they go beyond protesting and move towards criminal behaviour

      1. Harry Molloy

        so… you disagree that you can support one thing and condemn another… fair enough a mhac

        1. Yep

          +1

          There is enough leeway for nuance is the second statement if that was the extent of the rebuttal.

    1. FortyCoats

      With Zappone, none if her actions are apparently contradictory.

      She gets her picture taken at a Repeal march, then she votes against the Bill to permit abortions for fatal foetal abnormality and the Bill to reduce the fine for procuring an abortion to €1.

        1. Daisy Chainsaw

          “Independent” of any scruples, morals etc. Whatever it takes to keep her snout in the trough.

  2. Molly

    “However, in the witness box today she did not agree with Mr Guerin that this was a public refusal to condemn the protesters.”

    Of course it was. Will they have us believe now that words don’t mean what the dictionary says they mean???

    1. realPolithicks

      Their words can apparently mean whatever they want them to mean at any point in time.

      1. Adama

        It’s a movable feast, trouble is the feast is the space that people like Zappone er, feast in. Pardon the stretched analogy, it just amazes me that people like Zappers can hold 2 contradictory ideas in their head and remain sane. And unaccountable.

          1. Adama

            Apologies Molly-you’re correct, of course. I should have qualified the word ‘sane’ in the context of political opportunism, ie how far one can stretch one’s own morals for the sake of career advancement whilst still retaining some sort of human characteristics. Or how to function in public without eating their own hand off for a slot at the trough..

        1. Georgina Casserly

          Sad to see someone so determined to have the defendants found Guilty at any cost. Especially someone who participated in Protests like Greenham Common, which turned from peaceful to damaging Amercan Property and people were arrested. Coached she was and struggling to find an answer that would get her off the hook, when asked about her opinion on the protests she attended…. Silly woman lost any credability she may have earned….

  3. Kenny U-Vox Plank

    Surely, “deeply concerned and frightened for her chances of being elected”, no?

  4. Kenny U-Vox Plank

    Surely all this is sub judice, and somewhat inadvisable to be allowing comments…

  5. McLamo

    Can someone please explain to me she felt that calling 999 twice was going to make a difference? The place was crawling with Gardai; the Tainiste goes around with a Garda escort FFS! What was a 999 dispatcher going to do?

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