Joe Higgins condemns media treatment of Paul Murphy

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins has criticised the treatment by some media of his fellow party-member Paul Murphy.

Mr Higgins claimed Dublin South West TD Mr Murphy had been "disgracefully and maliciously represented" in media reports of an incident last week in which President Michael D Higgins received verbal abuse from some anti-water charge protesters.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s planned protests against the controversial charge; Mr Higgins agreed a minority of protesters has “engaged in offensive behaviour” and in using “disgracefully insulting personalised language.”

“We condemn that and the future of the campaign depends on well-organised, peaceful, disciplined protests and boycott as I have indicated,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme.

President Higgins was heckled as he left Coláiste Eoin in Finglas on Thursday and was called a "midget parasite", a "sell-out" and a "traitor" by one individual.

Referring to the fallout from the incident, Mr Higgins said his Dáil colleague had been harshly treated by some sections of the media.

“My colleague Paul Murphy has been disgracefully and maliciously represented in sections of the media over the event around the President,” Mr Higgins said.

Mr Murphy had “no hand, act or part” in the incident, he added.

“We defend the right of people everywhere to conduct peaceful, well disciplined protests,” Mr Higgins said.

Mr Higgins said some elements in the media had misrepresented Mr Murphy’s defence of the right-to-protest as a defence of the behaviour of “a very few”.

“We strongly oppose behaviour that is offensive.”

He said Mr Murphy’s support for the right to peaceful protest had been “wilfully and maliciously distorted by some” and had been presented instead as being “synonymous with defending the behaviour of a very few that most people would reject.”

Nationwide protests against the charge are due to be held on Saturday.

In Dublin, protesters are due to gather in locations around the city including Heuston Station, Connolly Station and St Stephens Green before marching to O’Connell St at 2pm.

Protests are also planned for Cork, Donegal, Waterford and Galway as well as for other locations across the country.