Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin and the likes of Deputies Paul Murphy, Ruth Coppinger and Joe Higgins have done nothing but waste time, scaremonger and exploit the situation. Deputy Paul Murphy was a disgrace last Saturday. Having assisted in trapping the Tánaiste in a car, he appealed to the mob with the words, "Do we agree to let her go?" This is not democracy at work. Violence and intimidation are not effective forms of protest. There was another woman in the car, an ordinary worker, as Deputy Joe Higgins continually describes his supporters. She, too, was doing her job but was trapped in the car for up to two hours. It was a low point. The Tánaiste had been invited to Tallaght to a ceremony for the graduation of further education students. Deputy Paul Murphy had also been invited, but chose to wreck the day for the graduates.

There seems to be a concerted effort by Sinn Féin and members of the Anti-Austerity Alliance to undermine and challenge the rule of law and democracy in the Chamber and throughout the State. Not happy with ignoring and physically obstructing a democratically elected Government and its agents throughout the country, these people expect to employ the same strong-arm, thuggish, bully tactics in the Chamber. They are trying to destabilise the State with menacing, threatening behaviour and are hell-bent on obstructing the Government from doing its job, which it has been democratically elected to do, regardless of whether the Opposition Deputies like it.

It is disgraceful that the ordinary workers that Deputy Joe Higgins loves to depict, who are employed to install the meters and earn a decent day's wage are subjected to horrendous abuse from these so-called protesters. How can these protesters be proud of themselves? While it is their democratic right to protest, it is not their democratic right to intimidate people and obstruct them as they do their daily jobs. It is not a democratic right to spit, threaten and frighten. I know a young female engineer who was threatened with a baseball bat and told her face would be on it. People have been followed home and vilified on social media. These protesters are led by Sinn Féin, Éirígí and the likes of Deputy Paul Murphy and it is unacceptable. It is easy for the Opposition to shout and criticise-----

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