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This afternoon

A press conference involving those arrested and released after the Jobstown Water protest {including teenager Jason Lester] in Buswells Hotel, Dublin to announce a demonstration this Saturday [Central Bank, Dame Street, Dublin at 2pm] to call for a stop to what they regard as political policing and to defend the right to protest.

From top: Jason Lester , Sandra Fay, Carol Purcell, Frank Donaghy and Paul Kiernan; (l-r) Clr Ciaran Mahon, Damien Cain, Jason Lester , Sandra Fay, Carol Purcell, Frank Donaghy and Paul Kiernan.

Yesterday: Kids Say The Funniest Things

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

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62 thoughts on “The Arrested”

  1. newsjustin

    A rally of people to demand the end of what they see as “political policing”? Does anyone else see the hypocrisy here?

    1. Rob_G

      These are the people that scream “PEACEFUL PROTEST!!!!” while trapping people in their cars, so consistency isn’t their strong point.

  2. Jordofthejungle

    While I am in favour of the principle of paying for clean water consumption but angered at the shambles that is Irish Water, this lot will do more of a service to the government than they think as most ordinary objectors hardly want to be associated with what is essentially a rent-a-mob. If it wasn’t Irish Water, it would be something else.

    2. Soundings

      “No terms of denunciation that pen could indict would be too strong to apply to those responsible for the insane and criminal rising of last week. Around us in the centre of Ireland’s capital, is a scene of ruin which it is heartrending to behold. Some of the proudest structures in what was one of the finest streets in Europe are now reduced to shapeless heaps of smouldering ashes”

      Irish Independent April 1916

      Unless it’s largely decrepit pensioners marching to protect their rights, when did the media in this country ever embrace significant protest? Just not the Irish way, which probably says a lot about the messes we constantly find ourselves in.

      1. Cluster

        Are you actually equating these “protestors” with those involved in the 1916 rising? It might be just me but the men and women of 1916 had slightly more of a grievance, don’t you think? The pensioners might have been vociferous and strident in their demands but they still managed to keep it peaceful.

        1. JC

          Nationionalisation of unsecured debt, which is the root of all this ill. Is that not enough for you Cluster?

          I think the founders of the 1916 movement would be pretty upset with how their so called founding parties of the state have handled these last number of years.

          Or are you suggesting this is just about water ?

          1. Jordofthejungle

            If the true source of their ire is indeed the austerity programme which has certainly had its chronic low points in the ill-advised make-it-up-as-you-go-along bank guarantee then these people, as all of us, have ample remedy via the ballot-box and peaceful protest. The days of violent revolution are hopefully behind us but it does seem as if some of these protestors are simply out to create havoc for the sake of creating havoc. If they intend to bring along as many people as possible with their demands and frustrations, they are going the wrong way about it.

          2. Joe the Lion

            Indeed the Treaty of Independence ‘nationalised’ the debt of the unpaid Annuities due to Britain for the various Land Purchase Acts – Balfour etc.

      2. Rob_G

        If comparing things with the Famine is Ireland’s Godwin, comparing water charges to 1916 must be… I don’t know, some other unsuitable analogy.

    1. ZeligIsJaded

      Sorry, the ‘Man’ is all up my brain making me square.

      Shouldn’t have gone to school so often. Brainwash Academy.

      Where can I pay my fees?

  4. Jonotti

    Martyrs one and all.
    They can expect a centenary celebration of this momentous struggle in 2115. Every school kid will be told of their brave actions, screaming “peaceful protest”, throwing bricks and nasty misogynistic insults to a politician.

          2. Don Pidgeoni

            With your adamant cries of guilt Banotti/Jock, I can only assume you have all the evidence to prove the same. Will you be passing it over to the police?

          3. ABM's Bloodied Underwear

            @Jonotti. You’ve also claimed a brick was thrown at her. This is untrue. The brick throwing incident occurred hours later.

    1. Jordofthejungle

      +1 Straight out of the Shinner protest manual, except it isn’t 1970s Belfast. They are the “Sounds of Sodomy” of the anti-water charge movement.

    2. Soundings

      + Clare Daly (arrested for drink driving after she championed the whistleblowers, was cuffed and taken to a station but later cleared after the tests came back negative, though not before the Gardai had leaked the details to the Indo and Herald)

      + Mick Wallace (the Wexford TD who also championed the whistleblowers, and whose incident with a mobile phone at the Five Lamps in Dublin was communicated by the former Commissioner, Martin Callinan to the former Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who went on to use that information on Prime Time in an attempt to discredit Mick)

      + 47 months since the Moriarty report was published which reached extremely serious adverse findings about the conducts of a former minister and the man who controls much of Ireland’s media, petrol stations, water installation work

      + Gardai pursuing an investigation into the false arrest of Joan Burton when Joan Burton hasn’t made a complaint. Plus Gardai trying to pin it all on Paul Murphy.

      If you don’t think political policing has already started in this State, where have you been?

      1. Bluebeard

        And thats only what they are doing, then theres what they are not doing – penalty points, Fr Niall, HSBC a’c holders etc.

      2. newsjustin

        +She made an illegal turn and had a drink taken. When the blood test was done she was below the legal limit. Case closed.

        +Fair point

        +47 months and (your point?)

        +A complaint doesn’t need to be made for Gardaí to investigate a potential crime. And all on Paul Murphy? How many have been arrested so far? 22 is it? And the Gardaí haven’t commented on Paul Murphy.

        Political policing would be happening if Gardaí stopped their investigations due to protests and lobbying from politicians and others (many of whom have been the subject of the investigation, so are hardly neutral observers).

      3. Jordofthejungle

        All these compelling examples demonstrate a police force unused to true independent over-sight and public accountability, a problem not just affecting the Gardaí in this State. I don’t believe these examples amount to large-scale political policing to the extent alleged by the protestors who appear to think that they too can flout acceptable standards of behaviour rendering them no different from those they impugn.

      4. RealCorkLanger

        Didnt Clare Daly fail the roadside breath test? And didnt she admit that she had consumed alcohol – which would lead to her failing the roadside breath test?And then the detailed test at the station found she was under the limit?Sounds like a run of the mill situation like.

        And didnt Joan Burton make a statement about the incident?

        1. Rob_G

          I think that she declined to give one – a cynic might say that was to gain herself a few vital minutes…

      5. Atlas

        Those are all legitimate, except for the last point. There’s several photographs of Paul Murphy squatting down in the way of Joan Burton’s car preventing her from leaving – open and shut false imprisonment – and as far as I’m aware, a complaint isn’t a necessary prerequisite for the police to investigate a crime.

        There is political policing alright, but the arrest of these types ain’t it.

        1. Royal M

          @Atlas: “open and shut false imprisonment”

          You might want to learn the meaning of the word “imprisonment”, and also “open” and “shut” while you’re at it.

          1. Shockabilly

            ehhh dunno about that. If I was Joan I wouldn’t have dreamed of getting out of the car (assuming she could have). Not saying she would have come to harm but crowds (particularly at protests) can be unpredictable. Just because the protestors didn’t physically restrain her person does not mean she wasn’t effectively imprisoned.

  6. Bluebeard

    They were protesting around my gaff last week as the meter installers went about their business. Protestors were total thugs. They started a fight and ended up on YouTube. Result.

      1. Bluebeard

        It was a menacing stand-off for two days. Then the weather got proper freezing and the fitters remained in their vans while the protestors froze outside. When the fitters started unloading the barriers, it all went off. So the short answer, it depends on the weather and the hardness of the protestors.

        1. Dubloony

          Hmmm….Weather is improving, protesters were upbeat, but they were only at it for about 15 mins at that stage.
          Could be a long couple of days with added lingering aftermath of ill will among neighbours.
          I just want them to install it and be done with it.

    1. Parochial Central

      Are you still using the term “guards”? What age are you? Of what age are you. Oh. right. #bacon

  9. Mikeyfex

    “Hi, is this the water metering protest?”
    “No, that’s round the corner. This is the protest to defend the right to protest against water meters.”
    “You guys are in pretty deep then, huh?”
    “Not as deep as that crowd” *points*

    *squints to read placard off in the distance* “Protect the right to protest against the protesters defending the right to protest against the demonstrations against protesters led by people against the right to the defend the right to protest against water meter demonstrations”

    “Huh…cigarette?”
    “Please”

  10. Selfie Sensation

    It is very clear to me that the only people making a political matter of this police investigation are the people holding rallies and press conferences about it.

    1. Royal M

      If this were America you’d be one of those people labeling the Ferguson protestors “ni&&ers”, but as these lot are white and from Tallaght “scum” will have to do.

      2. Shockabilly

        Apart from the fact that you fell into Joe The Lion’s trap, it’s some looney leap of twisted logic to say that calling a group of water protesters scum (as you incorrectly assumed…) implies rabid racism.

        Another variant on Godwin’s law methinks.

    1. Atticus

      I often wondered what type of contract Sierra had with IW with regards to the installation of the meters, i.e. was it a fixed priced contract leaving them open to cover any costs associated with delays or did they have a protection against the delays. I suppose we’ll get the answer if they actually do stop the installation works this week.

      They are also still due to go into the areas that would be considered traditionally working class areas which I would imagine would create higher instances of resistance.

    2. Zuppy International

      And now the denials:

      http://www.thejournal.ie/water-metering-stopping-dublin-claims-1944121-Feb2015/

      http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/irish-water-denies-dublin-meter-installations-to-stop-this-week-1.2107392

      Interesting dependency between the two articles. The Journal claims 58,000 meters have been installed in Dublin while the Irish Times references an Irish Wasters spokeswoman who claims the metering is ahead of schedule with 9,463 meters installed nationwide.

      Somebody is pulling figures out of their arse. Again.

      1. Zuppy International

        * discrepancy…

        Journal also claims 587,000 meters installed nationwide which is over 60 times the figure claimed in the Irish Times.

  16. Truth in the News

    When will the appointment of servants of the people be made
    a constitutional issue, when will the populace cry halt and demand
    their right to examine the creditentials and political affiliations of
    those being appointed by the government….this has gone on
    for years and has not served us well, there is widespread public
    mistrust and will entenually end up in a national crisis.
    The treatment of a few water protestors is only the tip of the
    iceberg….what has Minister Fitzgerald done with the report on
    the Murder of Niall Molloy…..?

      1. Kieran NYC

        But if it was from some amateur blog and the number was one you happened to agree with, you’d proclaim it as the truth.

        Your bullpoo has turned transparent.

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