Water protesters warn Government of ‘a hell of a lot worse’

Protesters who took part in the incident in Jobstown, Dublin last November when Tánaiste Joan Burton was trapped in her car have warned Government Ministers they can expect worse treatment.

Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy and others who were arrested after the protest and are expected to face charges in the Circuit Court next year held a press conference in Jobstown on Friday morning.

“It’s not a personal hatred of Joan Burton. I don’t know the woman. Nobody here knows the woman. But it’s a hatred of what she represents politically which is a complete sell-out of people and then really laying the boot into working class communities,” Mr Murphy said.

When Ms Burton was taken from the car being blocked by a sit-down protest and walked to another vehicle by gardaí a number of missiles were thrown at her.

She was hit on the head by a water balloon. Other objects, including bricks, where thrown at gardaí and their vehicles. A number of gardaí who moved in to surround Ms Burton’s car had items of equipment and uniform stolen.

Mr Murphy said he had no regrets about the protest. However, he did say Ms Burton should not have been struck with a water balloon. The protesters said children had thrown water balloons and eggs.

Another protester Paul Kiernan, who said he had voted for Labour and Sinn Féin in the past, said the Government should expect such protests.

“I think any Government that is doing what they’re doing at the moment should expect protests like this and probably should expect a hell of a lot worse,” Mr Kiernan said.

“People are very, very, very quiet in this country. We haven’t had our voice at all. It’s taken years for us to stand up but now that we have they must realise you can bend the people for so long but sooner or later they will break and they will snap.”

It emerged on Wednesday night that the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided to charge people suspected of involvement in the protest.

Mr Kiernan told the press conference he found the prospect of going to jail “scary”. He added: “If they want to martyr us, so be it. None of us are asking for this. People set out that day to have a peaceful protest.”

He said he believed gardaí had tried to “entice a riot”.

“It was a set-up to try and demonise the whole movement.”

Mr Kiernan said Ms Burton had not been wanted in the area. She had attended a graduation ceremony at the An Cosán College in Jobstown.

Mr Murphy and Mr Kiernan were joined by other protesters Frank Donaghy, Keith Preston and husband and wife Ken and Carol Purcell. They said they had received no official communication about charges and anything they knew came from the media. Mr Purcell appealed to gardaí to contact his solicitor Cahir O'Higgins "just to let us know where we stand".

A spokesman for the Courts Service has said waiting times of 10 months currently apply in the Circuit Court.

This means protesters due to be charged will not appear in court until after the General Election.