Socialist TD defends ‘peaceful’ Tallaght water charges protest

Anti-water charges campaigner and Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger has defended the weekend's protest in Tallaght as "exceptionally peaceful".

The Socialist TD was speaking this morning about the two-hour protest that saw Tánaiste Joan Burton trapped in her ministerial car by a crowd of several hundred people protesting against water charges.

The Tánaiste had been attending a graduation ceremony for students at An Cosán in Jobstown.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Coppinger said the attempt to portray the Tánaiste as a "victim" was "incredible" and she insisted the car had not been "rocked" by the protesters, as reported.

“Joan Burton is not a victim, she is a member of the elite and the establishment of this country.”

Asked about sexist abuse allegedly used by some protesters, she said she had campaigned against sexism and would “never agree with criticising Joan Burton and using sexist or foul language”.

“I think the general tenor of the protest was exceptionally peaceful,” Ms Coppinger said.

She said she believed Taoiseach Enda Kenny and other ministers travelling the country were going to be greeted with similar protests.

“I do think it’s inevitable that where ministers who are proposing the kind of cuts...that when they go into deprived areas they will be met not with garlands of flowers but with anger.”

Ms Coppinger was also critical of sections of the media, which she said had “cheer-led” austerity and had referred to the protesters as “a mob” over the weekend.

There had been two “very buoyant” days of protest recently which had attracted 100,000 people on the first day and 200,000 the second day, she said.

Asked if she would accept that the protesters had marred what should have been a memorable day for those graduating, Ms Coppinger said she had taught in Tallaght for 10 years and had seen the education system “decimated” by cutbacks.

Those who had called the protest had been local people, and probably relatives of those people getting the awards, she said.

Ms Coppinger said the graduation ceremony had been “well over” when the protest started.

She said she did not believe anyone would be “fooled” by the Government’s amended plan to collect water charges, which is due to be announced later this week.

Ms Coppinger said she believed bills would arrive in people’s homes at the end of January and that they would not pay.

Speaking on the same programme, Minister of State for Primary Care Kathleen Lynch criticised the protesters in Tallaght, including anti-austerity TD Paul Murphy, who was present.

Ms Lynch said she had been involved “in more protests than I’ve had hot dinners” and that it had always been the case that protest organisers “had a degree of responsibility”.

Noting that Ms Burton had been hit with a water balloon during the events, she said the missile could have been a brick, a stone or a bottle.

“It could have been anything.”

Accusing Mr Murphy of “smirking” as the Tánaiste was led from the scene, Ms Lynch said:

“Who does this guy think he is? Does he now think he’s the law of the land?”

“I agree with people’s right to protest, it’s part of our democracy. But not to step into the realms of personal abuse and violence that we saw on Saturday,” she said.

Asked whether people’s anger about the water charges was understandable, Ms Lynch said there were different ways to show that anger.

“I’ve been involved in more protests than most people and it is not acceptable to exhibit violence.”

Speaking in Brussels this morning, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan condemned the weekend's protests and called on gardaí to take "appropriate action".

“As a democrat I acknowledge the right of the citizens, the people, to engage in protest but obviously and always within the law.

“What I’ve seen on TV screens over the last 48 hours appears to me to be outside of the law, over the top, and I would hope that the gardaí will take appropriate action within the context of our public order legislation,” he said.

“Protest is fine -intimidation, fear, physical violence (is) unacceptable in any democracy.”

He noted that the protest appeared to have been led by elected members of Dáil Éireann.

“That’s a new departure and it’s to be condemned,” he said.

Video footage also emerged over the weekend of gardaí pushing a female protester to the ground at a protest outside the Mansion House in Dublin after she attempted to walk in front of Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s car.

Speaking later on RTÉ radio, Paul Murphy said he was not the leader or organiser of Saturday's protest, but a participant alongside his constituents.

He said if he had organised the protest himself, he would have had stewards present. But this would not mean he would not take part in similar protests in the future.