Labour minister Ged Nash hits out at ‘thuggish’ water protesters

People are appalled and disgusted at the "thuggish elements" who took over anti-water charge protests at the weekend, Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash has said.

He said Socialist Part TDs Paul Murphy and Ruth Coppinger had to ask themselves serious questions about their ability to show leadership at protests.

The Minister said he defended the right to protest but that demonstration on Saturday had “crossed a rubicon”. He said by any stretch of the imagination had the demonstration on Saturday could not be considered to have been a peaceful protest.

Mr Nash said he had no problem with people making their views known about any decision of the Government. However he said there had to be ground rules.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan was greeted by angry protestors who heckled and jeered as he arrived for an event in Limerick today.

Around 80 anti-water charges protesters gathered outside the Absolute Hotel in the city to voice their anger at the charges. The minister managed to avoid the crowd after he was driven the wrong way down a one-way street and ushered into the hotel by gardaí. Around a dozen uniformed officers provided a cordon at the main entrance door to the hotel.

Protesters who said they were angry the Minister didn’t face them, carried placards and chanted: “Michael Noonan, who do you think you’re fooling?” and “No way we won’t pay”.

Mr Noonan, who is also a local TD, was in the hotel for the the Launch of the Mid-West Regional Drugs & Alcohol Forum Awareness Week. After his address the Minister for Finance left the hotel via a side door.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was heckled by water protesters outside the Mansion House in Dublin as he attended an event, while on Saturday Tánaiste Joan Burton was trapped in her ministerial car by a crowd of several hundred people protesting against water charges in Jobstown. Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy, who participated in the demonstration, said the protest, which began shortly before Ms Burton attended the ceremony at noon, had been peaceful.

Today, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said the Government will never be able to convince "Marxists Leninists" of the need for water charges and accused protesters in Dublin's Jobstown at the weekend of "thuggery".

Mr Varadkar said it was important to distinguish between the Jobstown protesters and the thousands who had previously taken part in peaceful demonstrations around the country because they were concerned about affordability, privacy and privatisation.

“I think the Government will be able to answer those concerns in the next couple of days,” he said.

"For people who are ideologically opposed to water metering and want to bring about a Marxist Leninist republic in Ireland we're never going to convince them, quite frankly, and we're not going to try."

Mr Varadkar said the demonstration at Jobstown, Tallaght on Saturday was not a peaceful protest but one designed to intimidate Tánaiste Joan Burton and other people.

He said the need to police such protests was a waste of Garda resources.

“I’m absolutely sure that the gardaí have better things to be doing than following around a Socialist TD to make sure they don’t break the law,” he said.

“ It’s a ridiculous waste of Garda resources the fact the gardaí are being employed now in large numbers to protect the public from members of our parliament who should know better.”

Mr Varadkar was speaking in Dublin city centre this morning at the launch of the HSE’s “Under the Weather campaign.”