Dublin Police use Chemical Weapon on protesters:

                   Injured protester at Irish Parliament, Wednesday, 18 September 2013


DUBLIN POLICE USE
CHEMICAL WEAPON
ON PROTESTERS:

A large force of Police outside the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann, including mounted officers, dog units and numbers in riot gear blocked the street against about 1,000 protesters who had gathered in the street opposite the main gate at the start of the Parliament’s autumn session to protest against the economic austerity policies of the current Government dictated by the EU Brussels bureaucracy and the IMF.

The protest was peaceful and speeches were being made by representatives of a large number of civic groups when the crowd increased and some pressure occurred against the crowd barriers erected by the Police. Police reacted savagely with batons and a chemical weapon –pepper spray- in a totally unnecessary and unjustified manner. There was no threat either to them, who were gathered in large numbers, or the Parliament, as the Main Gate was closed and blockaded by Police.  

Three people were arrested, three were injured and brought to hospital.

 Police remove protester outside Irish Parliament in Dublin, Wednesday, 18 September 2013.

This disgraceful and shameful aggression is typical of Police reaction in all western countries against peaceful protest in the current economic crisis of capitalism, which apparently is regarded as intolerable despite legal protections in most democratic countries. The hypocrites who condemn use of chemical weapons "against their own people" by foreign countries have no compunction in using such weapons "against their own people" to suppress peaceful protest and intimidate opposition to their vicious austerity policies across the Western "democratic" world.

The public should not tolerate these abridgements of their rights by police and the politicians who give them their orders from their office armchairs.

                 Protesters halt traffic in Central Dublin, Wednesday, 18 September 2013.

Nevertheless, the Police were caught off-guard as they concentrated their numbers at the Parliament gate about 500 protesters turned up in Dublin’s main street- O’Connell- and succeed in bringing the evening rush-hour traffic to a halt in all directions by occupying O’Connell Bridge.

All traffic up and down the Liffey quays - as well as that moving north and south between d’Olier Street and O’Connell Street - was blocked by individuals who either sat or stood in the centre of the road. Several double-decker buses were marooned on the bridge and passengers had to disembark and find alternate ways to reach their destinations. Protesters carried posters and banners calling for bankers to be jailed while there were chants to “take back our city”. At one point, one of the protestors with a megaphone directed the others to form single-file lines across the length and breadth of O’Connell Bridge in order to maximise the challenge for Police to disperse them.

Among the groups protesting were Anti-Eviction Ireland, Pensioners Against Cuts, Irish Republican Voice and the People’s Assembly, which consists of trade union, civil society and political organisations.

 

Public anger at hospital case

                                     PHOTO; IRISH TIMES

HOSPITAL CASE PROVOKES
PUBLIC OUTRAGE:

POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE ON THE 
STREETS OF DUBLIN AS THOUSANDS

PROTEST AT DÁIL ÉIREANN:

The death of a woman in Galway University Hospital on 30th October last has led to spontaneous outbursts of public anger on the streets of Dublin and other cities tonight as revelations that the serious condition of the lady concerned may have been prolonged and allowed to deteriorate because of Catholic Church dogmas invoked by medical staff at the hospital. More than 3,000 people held a protest vigil outside Leinster House this evening at 6pm. There were also demonstrations in other cities and outside the Irish Embassy in London.

Two investigations are under way into the death of the woman who was 17 weeks pregnant, at University Hospital Galway last month. Savita Halappanavar (31), a dentist, presented with back pain at the hospital on October 21st, was found to be miscarrying, and died of septicemia a week later.

Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar (34), an engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, says she asked several times over a three-day period that the pregnancy be terminated. He says that, having been told she was miscarrying, and after one day in severe pain, Ms Halappanavar asked for a medical termination. This was refused, he says, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, “this is a Catholic country”. She spent a further 2½ days “in agony” until the foetal heartbeat stopped.

A hospital spokesman confirmed the Health Service Executive had begun an investigation while the hospital had also instigated an internal investigation. He said the hospital extended its sympathy to the family and friends of Ms Halappanavar but could not discuss the details of any individual case. Mr Halappanavar took his wife’s body home to India on Thursday, November 1st, where she was cremated and laid to rest on November 3rd.

The case has led to immediate calls for legislation to clarify the law regarding termination of pregnancy following two referenda and a Supreme Court judgement in the past 20 years on other cases and a demand for explicit legal protection for mothers' health and welfare in such circumstances. There is huge embarrassment for the Government here in the failure to produce effective legislation in 20 years following on its recent failure to secure a credible vote in support of its proposals in last week's constitutional referendum where a shock 42% of those voting said NO.

Since the case also involves a judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 demanding that Government here produce effective legislation as described above, there is also acute embarrassment for Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Éamonn Gilmore, Leader of the Labour Party who, only yesterday was boasting about Ireland having secured a seat for three years on the UN Human Rights Committee. The fallout from this case, with a torrent of negative comments about Ireland's human rights deficit sweeping social and other media across the world, will resonate for a long time to come and the Government which fails to act promptly will suffer the political consequences with searing certainty.

As outrage grows, a further public protest has been declared for Saturday next, 17th November and is expected to bring the Capital to a halt.