Flying traffic cones last night outside Leinster House
Further to the melee outside the Dáil last night,
And following reports that a female garda was knocked unconscious,, Labour Senator Mary Moran and Anti Austerity Alliance Councillor Michael O’Brien spoke to Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One this morning.
On the matter of the female garda, this is what both contributors said:
Senator Mary Moran: “I must say the the scenes last night were nothing short of horrific, Sean, as I was leaving Leinster House. A female garda standing close to my car last night, it was unbelievable, traffic cones came across the car and hit the girl who was standing in a protective cordon and she dropped like a ton of bricks on to the ground. Now that was absolutely horrific, she was knocked unconscious. To me what was absolutely worse, after that was the fact that people seemed to think that this was funny and came up and started videoing it and laughing around it. I mean that girl was, seriously, to see somebody crumble. You know standing one minute and lying unconscious in the next minute was absolutely unacceptable I think last night.”
Anti Austerity Alliance Councillor Michael O’Brien: “I didn’t see the garda collapsing. I did see a cone travel over the garda lines and land on the car. That much I did see. I did see the garda in question being led in to an ambulance some half an hour after the incident and I don’t stand over the throwing of objects whatsoever.”
Listen back in full here – from 1.37min (Moran) and from 7min (O’Brien)
Earlier: About Last Night
(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)
Meanwhile…
Wayne F writes:
This photo is from last nights water protest outside the Daíl! Garda deploying Baton Penis with sex face and hip thrust
“I don’t stand over the throwing of objects whatsoever.”
Between the lines: I make sure I’m on the side that’s throwing the object. :P
as opposed the side with big heavy sticks, pepper spray etc
as opposed to the side with the law.
“Well, I saw the cone hurtling through the air, and I did see an injured Garda, but the two might not necessarily be related”.
Also, I’m still waiting to see Mr. T’s proof that this protest was actually a YFG black-op.
This is so typical of how protests are covered in Irish media. What do they expect? People are angry, the class divide in this country is getting bigger, inequality is a huge problem and has been for decades, and under austerity this has become even bigger. These protests are tame considering the unjust way ordinary Irish people have been treated by the political (ruling) class for decades in Ireland. The state is violently implementing austerity policies which are destroying lives, and to make it worse, none of those responsible for the crisis have been held to account, people have had enough of this crap…
I guess people would rather spend their free time chucking cones and shouting shyte at the gardaí than taking internships , apprenticeships , retraining , learning new skills and generally making themselves more attractive for prospective employers.
It’s not their fault! Have you seen all them immigents taking their jobs?
Even when it was the banks I knew it was the immegents.
‘Making themselves more attractive’= allowing themselves to be treated like dirt for little or nothing.
It seems to me that for any period of unemployment here that lasts longer than three months, the unemployed person is forced to do an unpaid internship just to get back in the game. This can happen several times over say a 20-year period and amounts to a lot of free labour. Everyone deserves to be paid for their work, anything else is BS, State-endorsed exploitation.
Lol, Where’s the employment?
+1789
If you don’t like the current ruling class, throw them out at the next election; don’t throw things at them.
We shouldn’t have to wait until the next election to throw them out. We should have the power to ‘fire’ them once we realise they conned their way into Government, and have no intention of keeping any of the promises they made to get elected.
Yes agree, Get rid of this farce government who made real paupers out of poor people, The people of Ireland have their chance to give Kenny & co a kick in the a***e out the door & never again want to see the back of those (clowns)
I’m sorry we’re not Greek enough for you. Most of us are relatively fond of our flawed parliamentary democracy systems. We find that it works somewhat better that organising a few hundred people to stand outside parliament and spit and scream at our elected representatives.
Elected representatives who do nothing for the people, Remember its our money that’s paying their huge salaries, don’t forget that
You could move to Greece and see how it’s working out for them.
Paul Murphy is conspicuously absent today.
http://www.finance.gov.ie/news-centre/press-releases/end-june-exchequer-returns-0
Things like this are the reason why o’brien and his ilk won’t get within an ars@’s breath of government next time out. Keep up the good work FG/labour :)
Good work, Lol Lol Lol,
“PEACEFUL PROTEST!!”
*Shoulder charge*
I remember being outside the Dail at one of the December budget protests before they bought all the new barriers and it was snowing. There was a rush and a push against the gardai, and a garda just tore through the new white Ralph Lauren jacket the fella next to me was wearing. He shredded it like wet tissue. The cries of yer man. I nearly pee’d myself with the giggles. Happy days.
Why did it take half an hour for an ambulance? Was she really unconscious or is it just spin?
RideMe
Because an ambulance crew may have been unable to get close to the Garda. It can and does happen, especially in the larger fracas.. On other occasions they can be prevented from doing do by the Gardai if the area is particular volatile. Finally, the crew themselves may prefer to wait for the situation to die down.
Do you believe those involved in this would gracefully allow an ambulance to enter and care for someone? Unlikely. We’re from a nation where ambulance pilfering, joyriding or attempted joyriding is pretty common,
I think I’ve figured it out now. If you’re protesting you’re a lazy good for nothing who plays the victim. If you’re not you’re a millionaire with inside information from your friends in high places.
So much for the mythical “middle Ireland”. Clearly you’re either at the very top or the very bottom.
I know you’re joking, but wealth inequality is a big problem and it’s getting bigger. The end result of the current recession is that there are more people in Ireland closer to the poverty line, while the richest people in the country have significantly increased their fortunes. The middle class is slowly being dismantled as a result of free market economic policies like austerity.
Down with that sort of thing!
Ah Colin, really?
If that garda was unconscious for any length of time and needed swift medical attention they would have got it.
The ambulance crew would not wait for the situation to die down. When have you ever seen an ambulance crew attacked at a protest in Dublin?
RideMe
So it’s OK to render a Garda unconscious but not attack an ambulance.
Good to know there’s rules.
Don’t be a dick kieran, no one is suggesting that!
Sorry – I didn’t mean to. But there are people who seem to be quietly suggesting that Gardai are ‘fair game’ or ‘enemy combatants’ or something.
He suits himself in debates about freedom this one
Apology accepted kind sir.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vp1gWkxOud0&sns=fb
Typical traffic cones, left wing (mirror) dissident semi-reflective thugs the lot of them.
And no protests @ McCreevy’s insulting performance at the banking inquiry?
How do the Guards always get their hats to stay on?
Do they always have to wear them? Seems a bit much.
Makes them easier to spot over the tops of large crowds, I guess.