Harney Paintbombed

DrumSteve

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1101/harneym.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

A woman in her late 20s has been arrested throwing red paint at Minister for Health Mary Harney in Dublin.

Ms Harney was turning the sod at the site of the new Ballyfermot Primary Care and Mental Health Centre beside the Cherry Orchard Hospital.

It is understood the red paint was contained in a bottle that was thrown at Ms Harney.

Around 20 protestors had gathered in the area to demonstrate against planned health cuts.

The minister continued with the event following the incident

Arrested? They should give her a medal... We need more people to get up and get angry at the way this shower are ruining our country.

jpfahy

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1101/harneym.html

At least we can now see the blood she has on her hands!

iMax

http://img.rasset.ie/0003dcc2-440.jpg

That picture will just run & run & run...

[MOD]Copyright - it applies.[/MOD]

jpfahy

I wonder has she the SafePass course completed to be on that building site??

seamus

It's assault, plain and simple. Anger is fine. Assault is not.

irishh_bob

the same idiots who shout and scream about cuts to health and who see harney as primarily to blame never seem to have any opinion on the fact that 70% of the health budget ( wages to nurses , doctors and pen pushers ) has been ringfenced via the croke park agreement

jmayo

jpfahy wrote: »

I wonder has she the SafePass course completed to be on that building site??

Obviously not since she is legally obliged to wear personal protective equipemt at all times.
So she is technically breaking the law.

But what the hell she is ff (yes in all but name) and as we know the law doesn't apply to them.

Wolfe Tone

Fact is is that things like this marginalize protests etc and make people less likely to go as they don't wanna be associated with perceived "head cases" like the paint thrower.

Just to ad my own thoughts here, I think she has the right idea, heart is in the right place, but it may be the wrong way to go about it and may damage her cause. Hope she proves me wrong though.

jank

So apart from the picture with red paint on her hands that will be printed on every newspaper tomorrow this was a waste of time. Throwing paint at elected representatives is not a road we should be going down, but I guess a lot of people feel frustrated that they cant do anything at the moment about the country. The country is a dictatorship for 4 years and 11 months...

DrumSteve

Ah hang on... she works for Eirigi... Ugh. I retract the previous.

My name is URL

This was posted on AH.

ILA wrote: »

It was done by Councillor Louise Minihan, a member of the new republican socialist eirigi party which broke off from Sinn Fein over that parties support for policing in the North in 2006.

Its a pretty small group which specialise mainly in protest politics and stunts like climbing on top of or occupying Anglo Irish Bank buildings

Below is the statement issued from p.ie, but it's not on their website (www.eirigi.org) yet.

éirígí Councillor Louise Minihan released from Garda custody following Harney protest

éirígí Councillor Louise Minihan was released without charge from Garda custody at 11.30am following an anti-cutback protest aimed at the Twenty-Six County Minister for Health, Mary Harney. During the course of the protest Minihan poured diluted red paint on Mary Harney’s clothing.

Speaking after her release Louise Minihan said,
‘In one month’s time the government will introduce what can only be described as a blood budget. The cutbacks in healthcare that will be contained in that budget will result in the unnecessary and avoidable deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the coming years.

‘Today Mary Harney had the cheek to organise a publicity stunt at Cherry Orchard Hospital, where she was turning the sod for a long overdue mental health unit. This is the same hospital which has been starved of funding for years, where an entire ward for althzeimers and dementia sufferers was closed down during the summer.

‘The red paint that I used in today’s protest is symbolic of the blood that Harney, Fianna Fail and the Green Party have on their hands. Irish citizens are literally dying to satisfy the demands of the IMF, the EU and the money markets. The wealth of this country should be used to provide a first class health service that is open to everyone and not to bail out the private banks.

Louise concluded by calling on people to oppose December’s blood budget
‘All across the country, in Tipperary, Navan, Monaghan, Wexford and elsewhere people have taken to the streets in their tens of thousands to defend their local hospitals. All of these local hospital campaigns need to come together in the run up to December’s blood budget.

‘On budget day itself the people of Ireland need to get onto the streets in protest. People don’t need political parties, trade unions or other so called leaders to tell them what it wrong with this country and they don’t need political parties or trade unions to tell them to get onto the streets. The time has come to stop moaning and start building a real alternative to the right wing policies that got the country into the mess it is in. It’s time to tell the government and the rest of the political establishment that enough is enough. We aren’t going to accept their blood budget.’

Gillo

Happy Birthday next month then!!!

Seriously though don't see what throwing paint achieved it's nit exactly the way forward unless you want to go down the French route.

Lenny Lovett

It was done by Councillor Louise Minihan,

I'm no fan of Ms Harney but this kind of behaviour does nothing to change the general view that groups like Eirigi are no more than a rabble. I trust there are measures in place to remove Ms Minihan from the Council for such disgraceful/criminal behaviour? She's a bad example to her community....

And it's a shocking waste of paint...;)

bmaxi

Still, the picture made my morning. I wonder did she have to go to A&E, or do they have A&E in the Blackrock Clinic?

invinciblePRSTV

No doubt this shocking violent attack was perpetrated by leftist types who wish to impose a tyrannical marxist regime on us all. Orwell would be spinning in his grave.

Yitzhak Rabin

While I hold Mary Harney in the highest disdain, I have to admire her for keeping her cool and continuing with the ceremony while covered in red paint.

Its not something I would have been able to do. Lets just say, Louise Minihan wouldn't be the only one who was up on assault charges.

JustinDee

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

I'm no fan of Ms Harney but this kind of behaviour does nothing to change the general view that groups like Eirigi are no more than a rabble

About as effective and credibility-inducing a protest as smashing a shop window or torching a car.
Transparent misinformed populism.

Wolfe Tone

JustinDee wrote: »

About as effective and credibility-inducing a protest as smashing a shop window or torching a car.
Transparent misinformed populism.

While they dont have much credibility for a number of reasons, they have hit the issue on the head with regards to many things.

hotmail.com

My heart bleeds for her.

Wolfe Tone

Two threads on this? We need a merge

Yitzhak Rabin

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

While they dont have much credibility for a number of reasons, they have hit the issue on the head with regards to many things.

I'd say its more of a case of them headbutting the issue with regards to many things.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

I trust there are measures in place to remove Ms Minihan from the Council for such disgraceful/criminal behaviour? She's a bad example to her community....

It was red paint. Not volcanic lava or blood infected with super-aids.

Criminal behaviour? Will ya wind your neck in








Actually were you serious? end of post comment was jokey, can you clarify if you actually think she should be removed from the council?

My name is URL

It'll be interesting to see how éirígí respond to her actions. If they wish to salvage whatever morsel of credibility they see themselves as having then they'll eject her from the party. I doubt they will however, since they are more interested in grabbing headlines on reactionary issues

Wolfe Tone

My name is URL wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see how éirígí respond to her actions. If they wish to salvage whatever morcel of credibility they see themselves as having then they'll eject her from the party. I doubt they will however, since they are more interested in grabbing headlines on reactionary issues

Not a chance in a billion years ever

Bit harsh on eirigi there imo.

bijapos

jmayo wrote: »

Obviously not since she is legally obliged to wear personal protective equipemt at all times.
So she is technically breaking the law.

But what the hell she is ff (yes in all but name) and as we know the law doesn't apply to them.

Wrong. Its up to the head Health & Safety supervisor to grant exemptions to protective clothing where they see fit, I could also ask as to whether the photographer and all the bystanders had protective clothing. :rolleyes:.

Poly

bijapos wrote: »

Wrong. Its up to the head Health & Safety supervisor to grant exemptions to protective clothing where they see fit, I could also ask as to whether the photographer and all the bystanders had protective clothing. :rolleyes:.

Don't worry, this is a HSE project, there will be no danger of any building activity for many years to come.

How many years ago was the sod turned on the new CF unit?

Crazy Taxi

Hopefully it was gloss paint and not just emulsion.
Would she have to press charges or can the Gardai prosecute either way?
Would be interesting to see if Harney pressed charges.
It is about time people started demonstrating aggressively against this govt.

Poly

bijapos wrote: »

Wrong. Its up to the head Health & Safety supervisor to grant exemptions to protective clothing where they see fit, I could also ask as to whether the photographer and all the bystanders had protective clothing. :rolleyes:.

True, if Mary had been wearing the correct PPE, paint wouldn't be an issue.

CarrickMcJoe

That protester was told she could'nt hit a barn door!!!!!!!!!

rokossovsky

I wonder just who got the job of cleaning the paint off her cleavage? Industrial cleaning job that I reckon.

jmayo

Gillo wrote: »

Happy Birthday next month then!!!

Seriously though don't see what throwing paint achieved it's nit exactly the way forward unless you want to go down the French route.

I hope you are not talking about the current French method of protesting :mad:
Different story if you are talking about the French route of circa 1792/1793 where Madame Guillotine was used to dispatch enemies of the people.
Note I did not say State as I think this state no longer represents it's people.

I think this does give her an excuse to head off somewhere to get a very expensive clean up and new hairdo.

As for those who claim this is childish, infantile and does not lead to constructive debate, I will just say this incident and the ones cowen was met with does show our arrogant insulated elected representatives that not all people are going to take continous sh**e from them.
Too many Irish people are too concerned about not making a fuss.
It is like where we take sh**e service in a restaurant and only bitch and moan once the waiter is out of earshot.

We as a people are now being lectured to that we must be good little citizens and dare not rock the boat, becuase God forbid some foreigners might not like us.
The foreigners we are now so afraid of might have a bit more respect for us if we booted out the incumbents who have led us on this disastrous course.

I agree we all have to pay more taxes, suffer more service cuts, but it's about time people like harney recognise that they have royally f**ked up and thus being treated like this should be par for the course.

She and her colleagues are some of the best paid and most perked pampered elected representatives in the Western World.
Yet there are some of the worst and have presided over the biggest meltdown in the western world.

Now does anyone want to buy some paint.

maynooth_rules

So the person that threw this paint will probably serve more time than Seanie Fitz. Got to love this country

the_syco

jmayo wrote: »

The foreigners we are now so afraid of might have a bit more respect for us if we booted out the incumbents who have led us on this disastrous course.

A bit maybe, but political instability would cause "one step forward, two steps back".

She's on Liveline right now, in all her patriotic glory, with a puppeteer in the background directing her answers.:pac:
Gotta love the IRgay.

jmayo

the_syco wrote: »

A bit maybe, but political instability would cause "one step forward, two steps back".

A bit like the politcal instability in the UK ?
Hell lets just postpone all elections until we are back at 3% and leave cowen et al in charge.
After all they are the only ones with actual experience of running the country. :rolleyes:

This argument is used as a way of telling people to get back in their box.

Lenny Lovett

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

It was red paint. Not volcanic lava or blood infected with super-aids.

Criminal behaviour? Will ya wind your neck in
Actually were you serious? end of post comment was jokey, can you clarify if you actually think she should be removed from the council?

Yes! Criminal Behaviour! Assault is Criminal Behaviour is it not? If someone walked up to you and poured red paint over you would you not see it as an attack on you? Do you believe that a person that does such a thing should not be pulled up over it? If so then where does law and order end and anarchy take over? If she is capable of assaulting someone with paint, she's just as capable of throwing petrol over someone and, anyway, she should be done for assault and as a result she should be removed from the council. Our Public Representatives should be a good example to the citizens.

golfball37

The only thing Mary Harney and the rest of the cabinet should have thrown at them is a noose.

They have acted like traitors and should be treated as such imo.

:mad:

Cakes.

Whose going to pay for the dry cleaning ..?

Bottle_of_Smoke

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

Yes! Criminal Behaviour! Assault is Criminal Behaviour is it not? If someone walked up to you and poured red paint over you would you not see it as an attack on you? Do you believe that a person that does such a thing should not be pulled up over it? If so then where does law and order end and anarchy take over? If she is capable of assaulting someone with paint, she's just as capable of throwing petrol over someone and, anyway, she should be done for assault and as a result she should be removed from the council. Our Public Representatives should be a good example to the citizens.

Seriously? :eek:

Einhard

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

It was red paint. Not volcanic lava or blood infected with super-aids.

Criminal behaviour? Will ya wind your neck in








Actually were you serious? end of post comment was jokey, can you clarify if you actually think she should be removed from the council?

She threw paint at someone else. Of course that's criminal behaviour. Do you seriously believe that people should be allowed attacking others in such a manner, damaging their clothes and property, just because they're angry?

Bottle_of_Smoke

Einhard wrote: »

She threw paint at someone else. Of course that's criminal behaviour. Do you seriously believe that people should be allowed attacking others in such a manner, damaging their clothes and property, just because they're angry?

Was a political gesture. Not like Harney's gonna be too concerned about claiming the dry cleaning costs from our pockets now is she.

I somehow doubt there'd be calls for her to resign if she was an independent rather than an eirigi councillor.

OhNoYouDidn't

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

Yes! Criminal Behaviour! Assault is Criminal Behaviour is it not? If someone walked up to you and poured red paint over you would you not see it as an attack on you? Do you believe that a person that does such a thing should not be pulled up over it? If so then where does law and order end and anarchy take over? If she is capable of assaulting someone with paint, she's just as capable of throwing petrol over someone and, anyway, she should be done for assault and as a result she should be removed from the council. Our Public Representatives should be a good example to the citizens.

Will you wind your neck in. If she wanted to 'cover her in petrol' she would have. Red paint is symbolic.

I must have missed you calling for the councellors up on corruption charges to be removed from their respective councils too....

Yitzhak Rabin

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Was a political gesture. Not like Harney's gonna be too concerned about claiming the dry cleaning costs from our pockets now is she.

I somehow doubt there'd be calls for her to resign if she was an independent rather than an eirigi councillor.

Do you think people would ask her to resign if she was a Fine Gael, Labour or Fianna Fáil TD? I think you'd find there wouldn't need to be calls, as she'd be booted out of any self respecting party.

It was not a political gesture. It was the gesture of a deranged simpleton throwing a tantrum.

Einhard

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Was a political gesture. Not like Harney's gonna be too concerned about claiming the dry cleaning costs from our pockets now is she.

I somehow doubt there'd be calls for her to resign if she was an independent rather than an eirigi councillor.

So as long as a crime is committed in the name of an ideology, it's ok? That's a strange way of looking at things. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's a member of eirigi so you can dispense with your Republican victimisation rhetoric from the off. It's to do with the fact that she has committed assault. I don't care who you are, or what party you belong to, there is no excuse to attack others in such a manner.

monkeypants

seamus wrote: »

It's assault, plain and simple. Anger is fine. Assault is not.

Could have been an accident. Maybe she was trying to throw the paint at the building, but Mary Harney got in the way. She is a big target and would be difficult to miss.

Einhard

OhNoYouDidn't wrote: »

I must have missed you calling for the councellors up on corruption charges to be removed from their respective councils too....

Anyone convicted of corruption charges should be removed from their respective parties. Similarly, anyone who partakes in common assault should lose the party whip. Why is there even a debate on this?

LostinKildare

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

Yes! Criminal Behaviour! Assault is Criminal Behaviour is it not? If someone walked up to you and poured red paint over you would you not see it as an attack on you? Do you believe that a person that does such a thing should not be pulled up over it? If so then where does law and order end and anarchy take over? If she is capable of assaulting someone with paint, she's just as capable of throwing petrol over someone and, anyway, she should be done for assault and as a result she should be removed from the council. Our Public Representatives should be a good example to the citizens.

LL, have you lost the plot? What basis have you for making such a charge?

As far as physical assaults go, throwing paint on someone is along the same lines as throwing an egg, or a drink in the face of someone who's harmed you. Hardly a violent offense.

But red paint is loaded with symbolism, and that's why it makes a damn fine statement. IMO members of govt should be harassed whenever they appear in public until they go.

optogirl

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

Y If she is capable of assaulting someone with paint, she's just as capable of throwing petrol over someone

What? Well, I saw him hit someone once so I'm sure he'd have no problem pulling out a gun...

optogirl

Einhard wrote: »

She threw paint at someone else. Of course that's criminal behaviour. Do you seriously believe that people should be allowed attacking others in such a manner, damaging their clothes and property, just because they're angry?

Yep. Suffragettes.

md12

I think red actually suits Mary, a little more would have been nice

Bottle_of_Smoke

yekahs wrote: »

Do you think people would ask her to resign if she was a Fine Gael, Labour or Fianna Fáil TD? I think you'd find there wouldn't need to be calls, as she'd be booted out of any self respecting party.

It was not a political gesture. It was the gesture of a deranged simpleton throwing a tantrum.

Einhard wrote:

So as long as a crime is committed in the name of an ideology, it's ok? That's a strange way of looking at things. It has nothing to do with the fact that she's a member of eirigi so you can dispense with your Republican victimisation rhetoric from the off. It's to do with the fact that she has committed assault. I don't care who you are, or what party you belong to, there is no excuse to attack others in such a manner.

I seem to remember a shareholder for anglo or boi throwing eggs at the managing director during the AGM. He was regarded a hero yet today's action is now considered a serious criminal offence. Funnily enough an egg has the potential to do a lot more damage than diluted paint. One poor nurse lost sight in one eye after being hit with one.

I have no problem with you disliking eirigi, and I'm not a socialist so I'm not a member, but just come out with it. I can't stand these petty swipes and pretending what Minihan did was a much bigger deal than it is because she's part of a group you love to hate.