Covid protestors bring shame to our capital’s streets

Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond has slammed protestors who took to the streets of Dublin today in an action that led to violent scenes.

The Dublin Rathdown TD said, “From the outset, this protest was ill-advised, fuelled by conspiracy theories and championed by individuals seeking to manipulate the genuine fears of many vulnerable individuals.

“It was disgraceful to see this protest descend into violent scenes with brave members of An Garda Siochána subjected to intolerable physical and verbal abuse.

“Some of the eye witness footage circulating is extremely disturbing and every public representative should condemn these awful scenes.

“The footage appears to show a lit firework being thrown at members of the gardai by one protester, which is truly shameful.

“These brave men and women risk their lives every day in the service of the people of our State and what they were subjected to today is utterly appalling.

“Those who organised this protest need to be held account for their actions.

“At a time of a global pandemic with so many people working tirelessly to suppress this awful and deadly disease, these antics were reprehensible.

“These self-styled patriots are a clear threat to the wellbeing of our nation. All these Covid protestors have done is bring shame to our capital’s streets,” Deputy Richmond concluded.