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2016 HAS BEEN hailed as a year of victory for campaigners trying to put an end to the use of animals in Irish circuses.
Though the Department of Agriculture has been clear that it has no intention of introducing legislation prohibiting the use of animal acts, a number of councils across the country this year backed bans on animal circuses on public land.
This year saw a violent protest outside a circus in Tallaght, in south Dublin, with six people arrested by gardaí. The protesters were there to object to the presence of Circus Belly Wein, a formerly Netherlands-based circus that uses dozens of live animals including three elephants.
In response to parliamentary questions from Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Ruth Coppinger, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said his department has received general complaints from members of the public about the welfare of circus animals.
Over the last year, four circuses were inspected by officials, but he said “no significant animal welfare issues were identified”.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, John Carmody of animal welfare group ARAN, described these inspections as “absolutely meaningless”.
On paper they look fantastic, but when it comes to reality it’s meaningless. They might go in for half an hour, 40 minutes or maybe even an hour and they write down their observations and send a file back to the department. Those inspectors are not following these animals around for the 365 days a year that they are being dragged from town to town, city to city, tethered up in chains while the circus is on the road.
The Department of Agriculture said in addition to inspecting the general health and welfare of animals, inspectors also examine the “competence of circus management, environmental conditions, including structures and facilities and number and species of animals present on holding(s)”.
Responding to Coppinger’s questions, the minister restated his Department’s reluctance to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.
“My department continues to engage with stakeholders, including circus groups, animal welfare organisations, in relation to the welfare of wild animals in circuses,” he commented. “According to the information available to my Department, there are in fact very few wild animals currently performing in Irish circuses.”
However Carmody said the face that only a small number of circuses now use wild animals has been mostly due to the battle by campaigners to highlight animal neglect for the public and to push local councils into taking action.
“As it stands, Ireland should be hanging its head in shame,” he said, noting that Scotland had recently pledged to ban animal circuses. “It is going to be European pressure that eventually forces us to do it here. Until then, animals will continue to suffer in Irish circuses.”
He acknowledged that 2016 had been “a fantastic year of progress” for the campaign but said he was concerned circuses could “bring in new exotic acts for 2017.”
“We’ve made so much progress now, I’m hoping they don’t go back”.
I’m sure they can rush in emergency legislation to deal with something like this, strangely impossible though when dealing with something like vultures dodging tax.
@Shelly Levine: you’re assuming they have a problem with vulture funds coming in, but they don’t
@Shelly Levine: There is an old woman living in a council estate near my sister, she lives in terror as dozens of youth drink on a wall outside her house. She won’t leave her home in fear of intimidation , The council couldn’t give a dam and same for the Garda who drive past and ignore it, Can we have a law that will be implemented for her too.
@Shelly Levine: i think back in october, when there was a big protest on housing outside leinster house, leo was busy inside at the same time writing his fanmail to kylie.
Eilis O’Hanlon: ‘Serious leaders should want to be respected, not loved like pop stars’
@DavidOReilly: maybe it’s time for the residents of the estate to take back their estate
@Tony Lyons: you know a extended family who wanted a neighbouring house for a cousin. When it was given to another family .set fire to a builders wheelbarrow set it alight. Eventually the cousin got it. Not every thing is black and white unfortunately.
Kehoe absolutely desperate to raise his profile because he knows he’s going to lose his seat and is panicking.
@Chemical Brothers: protesters scoring a own goal and helping him get elected again
@☘: Yes idiot protestors overstepped the line but issue subsequently milked to death by Kehoe as a PR stunt. Nothing like playing the victim card coming up to an election.
Kehoe only won his seat in the 2016 General Election by 52 votes so if just 27 Wexford voters switch their vote to Johnny Mythen SF then Kehoe is relieved of command.
@Chemical Brothers: did they tho, i remember when these same protestors showed up to simon harris house few weeks ago and they had it all recorded on video, I’ve seen no such evidence of last weekend, until I do I’ve got a small bit of doubt in the back of my mind that this even happened
@TDV: Have no doubt that the protest did happen.
Currently groups respectfully protesting at Kehoe’s constituency clinic are ex. Army and ex. Air Corps who have reason to have a particular beef with the Junior Minister with responsibility for Defence.
That the Fingal Battalion would travel all the way to Wexford to protest at the home of such an ineffective clown (who just happens to be on the verge of losing his seat) would arouse some suspicion.
Once the Fingal Battalion turn up the media focus shifts quickly away from bad news and whatever minister gets to be a victim for a few days.
@Chemical Brothers:
Practically handed re-election on a plate to Kehoe.
We Irish love that kind of victim to vote for.
In the past election the two most campaigned against Lab politicians, Bruton and Kelly we’re 2 of only 7 out it 37 re-elected. Lowry elected every time. Healy-rae is ridiculed and he tops the poll and drags his brother in. Back in the nineties lab went after a FF minister of SW, the dirty dozen campaign it was called. He topped the poll.
@TDV: You think there is a chance, however small, that this was some kind of set-up by Kehoe and the Wexford Gardai ? The back of your mind has some vivid imagination !!
@TDV: It did happen and there are videos of it. However, very few websites reporting on the incident are showing the video. I believe this is intentional so that it can be blown out of proportion.
Have a look for yourself how intimidating the protesters were here:
@Chris Judge: Heavily armed protestors too…surprised the Garda ERU or DF ARW weren’t called to deal with them. I’m sure Kehoe painted a picture of utter siege on local radio with faux outrage read from a script.
@Chris Judge: Actually when you view that video and then read what is printed on the page of local radio in Wexford it is difficult to reconcile.
The Minister for Defence has described as “shocking” a protest outside of his home in Enniscorthy yesterday.
Paul Kehoe says he felt intimidated by a number of people from the Fingal Battalion Direct Action group.
Mr. Kehoe’s wife and three young children were inside the house at the time of the protest.
The group recorded video footage of his property.
Paul Kehoe says he is the first Government Minister outside of Dublin to experience this.
@Chemical Brothers: Are you thinking that the so called Fingal Battalion are working for the peroxide witch to gain sympathy for inadequate Finegaelers? There actions a few weeks ago saved Harris’ ass ,Kehoe is so insignificant on any level you’d wonder if the Jehovah’s would even bother coming to his house.
@Cathal: Kehoe is only useful for 2 things currently.
1. Maintaining Dail arithmetic
2. Being a mudguard for the real Minister for Defence Leo Varadkar
But yes the ONLY person to gain from this “shocking protest” is Kehoe himself and if his seat can be saved then obviously FG benefit too.
Local feedback ex Air Corps personnel received while protesting at Kehoe’s Clinic in Enniscorthy suggest he is a gonner.
He scraped in last time because of his standing in Macre Na Feirme and because the previous incumbent Ivan Yates had built a very effective local machine.
We didn’t meet any locals who had anything positive to say about Kehoe.
@Chris Judge: how could anyone feel threatened by half a dozen pensioners standing on a footpath near their house ? get a grip man ffs ! ‘minister for defense’ – sh*t scared of a group of oaps with a banner – christ help him if he ever came across a real ‘mob ‘ . seen scarier playgroups !
@Chemical Brothers:
Could you give us methodology and parrimeters of the opinion poll you conducted in enniscorthy?
@Patrick Nolan: 10,000 people between ages of 2 and 99 and between 5 and 140kgs. 9,999 said they wouldn’t support Kehoe in a fit. Margin of error +\- 100%
But genuinely nobody had anything good to say about Kehoe, maybe they told us what we wanted to hear but we didn’t detect any Kehoe lurve whatsoever.
@Tommy Roche: are you actually trying to tell me that this type of scenario has never happened before? mother a jaysus you’re a politicians wet dream
@Chemical Brothers:
I have no idea if Kehoe will be re-elected, neither do you.
@Chemical Brothers: he won’t be the last..
mark my words!
Ongoing housing, hospital and insurance crises: It’s a complicated situation
One protest outside a TDs house: change the law immediately this is intolerable to continue any longer!
@*The* Brendan Gordon: it’s not “one protest outside a TDs house”, you’re forgetting their protests outside Simon Harris & Richard Bruton’s homes back in February. And according to the article https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/who-are-the-protesters-picketing-ministers-homes-1.3796879 the group said “the tactic would be used not only against Ministers but judges and other public officials (although they declined to say which ones “for tactical reasons”.)”. Whatever your views about protesting/verbally abusing ministers for what they do, their families should always be off-limits.
@Dave O’Mahony: oh yes families should be off limits. Just like when the woman was dragged out of her home in her house coat by a loyalust eviction gang in Balbriggan, her husband was twice knocked out conscience out of 5 attempts to renter their home. It’s yellow bellies lime you that will wait untill the 11th minute of the 11th hour to finally see the light…….by then it will be too late
@Dave O’Mahony: Sorry, three protests. Compared to thousands upon thousands of families affected by the other issues. People dying because of botched tests. Children homeless. Rampant monopolies. But yeah, we urgently need to address someone’s dad being called exactly what they are. Get some perspective.
@Woken: Not sure of the details around the event you mention, so can’t comment on force was used. But based on similar events I’ve read about, my guess would be that they didn’t pay rent/mortgage for a few years, then refused to vacate the property. Is that a fair assessment?
If so, then there are specific laws about this kind of thing. For example, “breach of contract” could be when you agree to pay rent/mortgage or else move out, but then you fail to do either.
@*The* Brendan Gordon: “thousands of families affected by the other issues” people will always have issues, it’s not always someone else’s fault (e.g. government). “People dying because of botched tests” do you have a figure for how many cancer patients have been cured as a direct result of these protests? “Children homeless” are the protestors offering to directly help any of these kids? If not, then it seems more like the kids are nothing more than a sound-bite for the protestors anti-government agenda. “Rampant monopolies” I’d be hesitant to use the term rampant, but I get where you’re coming from on this one. The reason why there’s so much foreign investment in property is because very few large-scale Irish landlords want to remain in that sector. If someone stops paying rent & refuses to leave, then it costs a fortune in legal bills to get them out, while at the same time, the landlord’s income is impacted because they can’t rent the property to someone else. Furthermore, because the property isn’t available to someone else, it’s reducing availability to new renters and pushing up rent prices even further. If you look at it from all the angles, social disobedience is one of the contributing factors in this issue.
“urgently need to address someone’s dad being called…” So you’re all in favour of *adding* to the list of problems in this country?
@Dave O’Mahony: but our families suffer because of their decisions but that’s ok.
@Frankie Mangan: families also suffer because of their own decisions, you can’t blame every single thing on the government. If someone decides to not pay their mortgage back and is evicted it’s their own fault for not engaging with the bank to try sort it out. There’s a serious lack of personal responsibility in this country
@Frankie Mangan: So the answer is to inflict more suffering? An eye for an eye, and all that?
@Dave O’Mahony: just read your first line you typed in response to me… s l o w l y
However your sure enough about everything for a “War & Peace” lenght response.
You’ll get that free FG/FF election free mug and pen now for sure
@Woken: why were they being evicted
@Woken: of all of the things that never happened, that never happened the most. Things added to your comment for the sake of exaggeration: dragged, housecoat, loyalist, gang, conscious.
@Only here for the comments: Lier
@Tony Lyons:
“How where they being evicted”. There, I fixed your smart arse response for you.
The country has been carved up over the past ten years, bought and paid for by foreign interests (pennies to the euro) who will financially squeeze the citizens of Ireland. Now who allowed that to happen – people are angry, can you blame them.
And what next.. fine non authorized protests ? Make illegal all complaints ?
@Dominic Leleu: yup thats it exactly and most of the country will actually cheer it on, amadáns
@Dominic Leleu: next will be garda batons across the heads of protesters ala – macron and the yellow vests ! why do you think the EU is so keen to push on setting up this p.e.s.c.o army ? once up and running it wont be long before their called in on some trumped up ‘public order’ excuse to crack a few skulls and stop protests …
Nothing wrong with peaceful protests…
@MickN: Showing up in a group at somebody’s house is not peaceful even if it’s silent. It’s intimidating, thuggish and shameful.
@Phillip O’Brien: but its ok for politicians and their supporters to come around in groups to our homes uninvited ?
@Phillip O’Brien: https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
Use your vote better. 100 years of FFG taking its toll …
@Willy: voting is not the issue at all, not by a longshot, its giving these parasites free reign for 4 years thats the absolute fundamental problem with our democracy
If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
@Mark V: His children aren’t in the kitchen. Not fair on them.
@Leadóg: there was absolutely no threat to anybody that day, the reaction from the minister was well played and the sheeple have been fooled once again
@Mark V: I think the point is mark, that it’s the TDs family’s who didn’t enter the kitchen and they shouldn’t have endure these protests, I know people are angry, rightly so, but these guys have offices and they also have to run again, if you want to protest do it at their offices, and when they go to run again do all in your power to help their opposition, that’s what hurts them the most, and in the end that’s what will bring in change,, remember people, they crave your vote, take away as many as you can…..
@Mark V: For the past decade the successive governments have made choices that have effected entire families, a little discomfort for his mind be a healthy reminder, me thinks.
How dramatic is he. A few people on public footpath outside his house, so desperate to be heard they were left with no choice. Instead of listening he over reacts and uses the opportunity for media coverage looking for the publics sympathy. Why couldn’t he go talk to them? I doubt very much they were going to harm him, they just want to be heard and he’s still not listening, he thinks, I’ll play a game and win more votes. Stop playing games for your own selfish needs. The people you work for (the Irish citizens) need you to listen but you don’t care. Sick sick sick.
@Sam Glynn: Exactly. It’s being completely blown out of propertion to garner sympathy for Kehoe and his FG cronies.
Check out the video of the protest to see how intimidating they really were
@Chris Judge: thanks for sharing, I’d not seen the video yet. So 6 men, two or three of which have walking sticks, and 1 lady. What harm would they of caused him,!? Seriously, they look like lovely people who would of definitely engaged in conversation with him if he just took the opportunity.
I’ll agree if the same rules apply to politicians canvassing my house.
A couple of pensioners protesting and he has to leave his home please do me a favour ha ha Jesus wept
@Jonny: after watching the vid of the peaceful protestors i believe they were there and were doing no harm whatsoever, and knowing how low the para site politicians can go in this country i don’t believe the garda were called or that the minister had to “evacuate” his house lol
Yes. I don’t think that the protesters like it if a group people arrive before their door.
@Hans Vos: Then you can use your right to protest outside their homes.
@*The* Brendan Gordon: Good luck finding out where they live.
@Hans Vos: you’re dead right, if there’s one thing i absolutely despise, its when a couple of gangsters in suits with electoral propaganda ring my doorbell at 8pm at night https://youtu.be/oHN18Rzhk_c
@*The* Brendan Gordon: I was brought up in a better way and learned not to hassle innocent people.
@Hans Vos: i was sitting in my garden the other afternoon when a group of around 8 people stood outside my gate , 2 of them opened my gate and came into my property ,i did not ask them to come onto my property , i did not want them on my property – yet they came in anyway – they then proceeded to knock loudly on my front door and repeatedly ring the door bell – i went to the front of my house and asked them to leave – before they left they posted leaflets through my letterbox – i did not ask for these leaflets and i did not want them – i didnt call the gardai or go to the press or RTE about it — you see its fine for politicians and their supporters to come around ” harassing and intimidating’ ordinary people – leaving unsolicited junk mail through the letterbox – so WHY is it a different issue if ordinary people go to their homes ?
I don’t think they record everything on their mobile phones and livestream this to Facebook. So yes there is a difference.
@Hans Vos: LOL ROFL PMSL https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
@TDV: And? He is part but not his children.
@Hans Vos: what are you raving on about now
While it’s inappropriate and protesters should move their grevience to constituency offices, once the protesters stay on the public road and do not trespass, obstruct access or infringe on private property it’s perfectly legal and it should stay that way.
Picketing an individual’s private residence is currently illegal and it should remain that way. Who would want to be in public office if there was a fairly good chance that there’d be a group of people picketing their house constantly?
@jacquoranda: is it? show me this act you’re talking about. we’re all allowed free movement in all public areas of the state, including all public footpaths
@jacquoranda: who’d want to be in public office if there was actually some accountability. Shur that would take all the fun out of being a TD.
@TDV: You don’t have a right to protest on someone’s private property
You don’t have a right to block access to or use of someone’s property. Laughably, you usually need to bring these protesters to the High Court. But no, you don’t have that right.
@jacquoranda: you’re moving the goalposts there a little now, you are if course right about private property and blocking access, my point still stands though
@TDV: Section 5(i) of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 makes it an offence for anyone in a public place to engage in offensive conduct:
-Between the hours of 12 o’clock midnight and 7 o’clock in the morning next following; or
-At any time, after having been requested by a member of An Garda Siochana to desist.
Offensive conduct is unreasonable behaviour which (having regard to the circumstances), is likely to cause serious offence or serious annoyance to other people.
I suspect a mob of protestors outside your house would be pretty annoying, and not dispersing when requested by the Gardai makes it an offence.
@Dave O’Mahony: these gentleman look very respectful in this clip and this by all means looks very peaceful that act your throwing around applys to some one but it doesn’t apply to these gentleman.https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1383521485135184&id=1251993284954672
@Tom Ryan: That’s the thing about the law, it’s supposed to apply to everyone equally, regardless of how they “look” in a video
@jacquoranda: why weren’t they charged with trespass,is it because they were on a public footpath??
@Dave O’Mahony: I don’t think I read any where that they were arrested and charged with any crime and that’s probably because no crimes were committed.
@Tom Ryan: Plenty of crimes get committed without people being arrested/charged (e.g. bankers directly involved in causing the financial crash). I wasn’t at the protest so i don’t know if any arrests were made, nor do I really care. I was responding to TDV’s questions about which act specifically would make it illegal to picket someone’s private residence. And as I already pointed out “a mob of protestors outside your house would be pretty annoying, and not dispersing when requested by the Gardai makes it an offence.” In this instance, I presume the protestors were asked to disperse before the decision was made to evacuate the minister. It seems like the most logical approach anyway
@Dave O’Mahony: this law you quoted does not apply at all to what happened.
@Dave O’Mahony: bahahahaha https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
@Dave O’Mahony: ah give it up Dave, nobody believes ya, politicians lie through their teeth to keep people like you on their side and ye just lap it up
What should be made illegal is paid public representatives not answering to the public. There would be no protests if people were not sick to their back teeth of corruption and incompetence. It’s a pity the people who are outraged at these protests were not as equally outraged at what passes for leadership in this banana republic.
This invasion of privacy by a group potesting at a family is invasive/wrong and should be made a specific offence.
@Tim Oleary: thankfully it can’t be made illegal to stand on a public footpath
@Tim Oleary: yes it’s wrong, but if they insist on making themselves and their appointees unaccountable for anything, ever … protest actions become the only available recourse. They all stood tall on an accountability platform after the last crash. Let them sort that out first.
@Tim Oleary: Well if he did his job right and cared about the citizens of Ireland over his own ego and bank account maybe they wouldn’t of felt the need to go on a public footpath outside his home to be heard. Instead of him going out to talk to them he took the opportunity to play the victim card for the media for his own benifit. There’s no reason he couldn’t of gone out to talk with them, it’s not like there was any risk of him being harmed.
@Tim Oleary: Cop yourself on. Their actions and lack of actions are destroying this country. Unless it affects them PERSONALLY they will never see consequences to their actions.
@Tim Oleary: https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688 ya these boys should have been shot on the spot, such intimidation bahaha
Well I think politicians should be held properly accountable for there actions. Bit this never happens. A joke of a country ran by a bunch of clowns FF&FG
It’s a long time ago our media was a fourth estate, a tireless and unafraid investigator, calling out criminals be the private sector or state sponsored, this protest was a group of perhaps ten people many of them retired, doing their part to attempt to stop the systemic destruction of our beloved country. Of course taking the side of the government has always been a more profitable proposal thus leading to such lucrative careers as programme manager or even a spin doctor perhaps to ministers in power, this is where we see journalists – just one more sold out group – taking the money and looking the other way!
How can you make peaceful protest illegal. It is on public land and people have the right to protest. Its bad enough these leeches are lining their own pockets now the majority on here think its okay to make protest illegal. Protesting outside the Dail is pointless and only annoys the public.
He’s Minister for Defense, were these people protesting about anything that has to do with his brief??? Eh … NO, so … back off. How would (for argument’s sake) a roadsweeper feel if people protest outside his house about the state of the roads??? So … Protest at the Dail as much as you want, but not at private homes.
@Susanne Morgan: they actually were protesting issues within his remit https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
It’s about time our people held our elected officials accountable for their non performance during a term… The peoples anger has come to their doors for their failures in government which have infiltrated our homes!!! This is only the start of it and it could be worse for them.. we could be thrashing the place like the yellow vests in France…our elected officials are getting away with murder if you ask me!!!
it should be illegal they should get a job instead
@deise: ah that old chestnut zzzzz
@deise: look at the video – most of them (if not all) are over retirement age !!
@deise: here ya go https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
Absolutely not that’s all these boys respond to is action. Letters back and forth and never received phone calls can be ignored! When we all come together and act change happens…look at the water charges!!
I don’t personally think protesting outside politicians homes is acceptable, but others clearly do. Therefore legislation to make such protests illegal would be very undemocratic.
Current legislation provides for breaching the peace, trespass etc, so if protesters don’t break these existing laws, then they should be allowed to protest up to the point of breaking current laws.
The danger with going the route of specific legislation to make illegal protesting against politicians is all legislation by default, provides for the minister to regulate without having to amend the legislation, at the stoke of a pen it could be extended to making protesting outside constituency offices, outside the Dail or near politicians speami g publicly or campaigning for election all illegal too.
When you are not been listened too you got to explore all avenues …..very well paid people if they make right decision it wouldn’t happen
The complete lack of action of all ministers and politicians in this country in a joke. 10000 homeless people and not one minister can do anything about it. A public hospital being built for 4 times what its suppose to cost and all that can be done is a review set up. Is it any wonder why protesters go to the homes of ministers I dont agree with it but its the only way that politicians will actually become aware of real problems. I’ll quote McGregor here and call them what they are. A bunch of do nothing c$$ts.
No. Their stupid decisions affect the personal lives of many. If they can’t do the job, they should get out. Unfortunately none of them are willing to leave, despite their gross inconpetence, because the jobs are so lucrative. They want the power and the money but the don’t want the accountability for anything. Someones gotta hold them to account.
It’s a shame that legislation may be needed for this. But certain people can’t seem to maintain respectful boundaries.
@Aisling: That in a nutshell, is the problem. Legislation should not mean making something legal illegal because it suits the Status Quo but that’s why the protesters are there. They’ve legislated two sets of parallel laws, one for the ‘haves’ and another for the ‘haves’ to milk the ‘have nots’ without accountability.
@Aisling: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1383521485135184&id=1251993284954672
Going by this clip all seems very respectful Aisling.
@Tom Ryan: I don’t think any of the pro FFG commenters here see the irony in their TDs voting against legislation that makes would illegal to make children homeless.
@Tom Ryan: I don’t think that going to a family home is respectful in itself. People can disagree with politicians all they want but society needs some respect on all sides.
@Aisling: yes I agree with you on the respect 10000 people a good chunk of them kids homeless and living their lives out of hotel rooms, the health service is a shambols people waiting on trolllies people waiting for months and even years for minor procedures, where is the political respect for these people, FFG policy is failing ordinary people in this country where is the respect for them, people have a right to protest where they choose in a public space as long as it is peaceful and respectful, and going by this clip these gentleman were very peaceful and respectful.
Maybe we should introduce a law allowing one free slap if a politician fails in their duty, any member of the public could slap them open-handed once with no fear of prosecution,
Having a haircut like his should be illegal
@Ihsan Penny: nice one lol
There shouldn’t be the need for such legislation, protestors should respect a persons home, by all means protest their constituency office til the cows come home but civility should remain intact
@Vote4Pedro: https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688 no laws broken and it was totally peaceful
These protesters are idiots and their action counterproductive but having to evacuate your house because there were eight people outside is more than likely an exaggerated drama. I know of people who live in council estates and dozens of youngsters sit on walls outside people houses even drinking , the people living there are intimidated and politicians and Garda are nowhere to be seen when these people need help.
@DavidOReilly: spot on dave -we have to put up with that most evenings and nights during the summer months – cars and motorbikes being driven up and down the lane outside our home at all hours , drunks shouting and roaring ,fighting and using the lane and our gateway as a toilet – broken bottles and beer cans left all over the place – kids as young as 10 out till 2 or 3 in the morning throwing stones at the windows and discarding takeaway wrappers in our garden – call the gardai and no one turns up until the next day – if were lucky ! local council and councilors dont want to know — even when they catch them and ask them to move on it continues – they never arrest or prosecute anyone ..
@DavidOReilly: after watching the vid i now fully believe the protestors were there, and knowing the lows our parasite politicians can stoop to i don’t believe the garda were there or that paul and his family had to be evacuated at all
Although I see nothing wrong with a peaceful protest maybe move the protests to somewhere close by their home with the aim of informing as many of their local voters as possible about the deficiencies and problems caused by their votes for that particular TD… Target the local voters and that will rattle the TD’s as much or more than protests outside their homes…
And here comes an attempt to remove democracy. Will people never stand together? Stand up for their country? These ministers will always favor their buddies and their pay cheque. They don’t care who is destroyed by their laws and legislation UNLESS IT AFFECTS THEM. Protesting is a persons right!!!!!!
Rather than listening to citizens who are understandably frustrated, they’re talking about banning peaceful protest. Thats the Irish way!
Remind me of the whole whistle-blower mess,didn’t they seek in a law almost unnoticed that effectively killed off the chances of any one else coming forward.
Don’t like the idea of showing up at people’s houses, have no issue with protesting at his office or any official engagement he may be attending,
Absolutely Yes. Time for these “Dads Army! Battalions…..ha to be put off the footpath and locked up if they persist making a nuisance. This is not a hobby to be encouraged!!
@Chris Gaffney: I’ve got a funny feeling that this is fake news, who protests at the house of someone that hardly anybody knows. Bluff and spin
@Chris Gaffney: https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
Maybe if he wasn’t a useless buffoon of a junior minister and actually represented those who he is supposed to lead, instead of sitting on his laurels whilst the countries defences are stripped of investment and the troop number tumble as our army naval service and air corps die from the inside, then protesters wouldn’t feel the need to go stand across the road from his gaf and hold a peaceful protest.
No Cathal There is a motley crew dressed partially in army fatigues with their little gang insignia who arrange perioduc excursions to the homes of TDs they feel are worthy of attention and generally make a nuisance of themselves chanting little ambitions and annoying the families and residents Annoying looking little bunch with too much time on their hands!!!
no obviously not, people have a right to protest.
You can disagree with these protests (I do) but they’ve not broken a single law or threatened violence, the idea that the government would be open to this kind of crack down on democratic rights is fairly shocking
Anyone intimidating another should be charged. This bullying is unacceptable.
@Paula Mackie Senior: bullying? lol https://www.joe.ie/news/paul-kehoe-protest-video-664688
Great idea, lets let them legislate more of OUR Rights away. Protests have been peaceful, that is your Right, er………the end! The results of that poll show what a pathetic lot we are!
have your say