GAAW stage protest at TDs homes

celty

What do people make of the 'Galway Alliance Against War' group who went to the homes of two Galway TDs to stage protests on Sunday afternoon.

One of them doesn't even live there (he told them this beforehand) and the other was at work while his wife and two young kids were out playing in the back garden. She had to bring them inside when she saw the protestors outside.

It seems the protest was to do with a Garda raid on a GAAW member's home. What this has to do with Brian Walsh or Derek Nolan is beyond me.

They have described Sunday's protests as "a new low" for Galway politics.

yer man!

That group has just caused misery and annoyance to other people. Nobody really listens to them anymore. Doesn't stop them (or I should really just say him) from getting a mention in the paper every few weeks. Just another annoying drone.....

biko

Apparently it was in response to Special Branch raiding Niall Farrells home last week. Seems they wanted to put pressure on Nolan to have Alan Shatter return the things taken by Special Branch.

Video of the protest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E20pY8hLLy4

Links as sources is always good.
http://info-wars.org/2012/06/11/video-gardai-special-branch-raid-the-home-of-galway-alliance-against-war-spokesperson/
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/101956

Chicken1

I think these people are a bunch of bully boys nothing else, they should be ashamed of themselves picketing family homes and frightning children. I am sure the raid by the Garda was done with some info on this group and their activities.

Robbo

"One member of the thought police said to my daughter’s boyfriend, who was also present during the raid, that one of the officers involved in the raid had close links to leading figures in the Workers Party and that my daughter and her boyfriend should join the politically irrelevant WP."

Also in on the conspiracy are Fine Gael, Labour and the Official IRA. If you're going to tie together such diverse strands, why not go for broke and implicate the Masons?

antoobrien

Oh the irony.

If the TDs don't interfere with the administration of justice they're bad guys in the eyes of GAAW.

If the TDs do interfere with the adminstration of justice they're bad guys for the criminal protection civil liberties groups.

celty

http://www.galwaynews.ie/26252-actions-anti-war-protestors-described-reaching-new-low

I think it's quite disgusting when you see that Derek Nolan even contacted Niall Farrell to tell him he no longer lived at his parents' home in Riverside ... and yet a dozen of them still turned up on Sunday afternoon.

Chicken1

One member of the thought police said to my daughter’s boyfriend, who was also present during the raid, that one of the officers involved in the raid had close links to leading figures in the Workers Party and that my daughter and her boyfriend should join the politically irrelevant WP

Total Bulls..te

Iwannahurl

From one of the above links:

I discovered during the raid that the officer with close links to the WP was the officer in overall charge of the raid. His name is Kevin O’Hagan and he is based at Shannon Garda station. His father Raymond was a candidate for the Official Republican Movement in 1973 in Belfast. Garda O’Hagan’s uncle Desi O’Hagan — or as Garda O’Hagan, while interrogating myself, nonchalantly called him by his nickname “the Devil” — was previously known as a senior member of the Official IRA.

Murky stuff. I can't make much sense of it, TBH.

Niall Farrell is a brother of Mairead Farrell, a Provisional IRA member who was shot dead in 1988 by the SAS in Gibraltar.

Long-standing bitterness there, I would imagine.

I encountered one GAAW protest close-up, where they picketed an event organised by a small (and now almost extinct) political party. I was stunned at the level of personal abuse they were prepared to direct at even young party volunteers, with most or even all of the abuse coming from one prominent organiser.

Robbo

Given Farrell's background, perhaps he'd be making the case that Derek Nolan's parents were "legitimate targets"?

Seaneh

Shower of cretins.

Storm 10

No Garda is allowed to serve if they had been involved in the IRA, who are they trying to kid, its typical of this group trying to turn things around to suit themselves, they make me sick.

snubbleste

There is no such thing as bad publicity.
Nice to see that the former manager in Anglo, serial landlord and FG representative for the town lives in such a plush pad whilst implementing austerity measures..

dloob

info-wars.org wrote:

Mr Farrell told the media that the raid on his home was “deeply political”

Humm I think you would need to have some political relevance for anyone to bother with a deeply political raid.

celty

Try posting a comment on their youtube site and they'll delete it if it is in any way critical of their 'movement' and their great bravery in going to TDs homes to protest on Sunday afternoons.

Freedom of speech, me hole.

biko

Robbo wrote: »

Given Farrell's background, perhaps he'd be making the case that Derek Nolan's parents were "legitimate targets"?

Seaneh wrote: »

Shower of cretins.

Don't post in this thread again.

nuac

imho it is anti-democratic to demonstrate at politicians homes

biko

I agree, it's too much to show up at politician's homes. Particularly when it's not for any other reason than pressure one politician to pressure another to return items confiscated. None of the Galway TDs were directly involved with the raid.

celty

biko wrote: »

I agree, it's too much to show up at politician's homes. Particularly when it's not for any other reason than pressure one politician to pressure another to return items confiscated. None of the Galway TDs were directly involved with the raid.

Agree 100% Biko.

Niall Farrell says Derek Nolan TD "lacks spine". For what? For not being at his Mammy's house when 12 'anti war' protestors call around on a Sunday?

And yet when I made a comment about this on their youtube site, they deleted it within ten minutes and blocked me from making further comments.

So much for freedom of expression, which so-called GAAW bang on about so often.

The only cowards I could see in the video were the people congregating, uninvited, outside two family homes.

ratracer

If that man has a problem with the gardai refusing to show him the search warrant surely his complaint should be to the garda ombudsman. What they are doing there is blatant intimidation of the family of the TD. How did they know anybody was home before he started spouting off about DC being spineless? There was no answer at the door after all

leeroybrown

This group (and particularly a certain member mentioned above) continually ruin a perfectly good point by the way they make it. After years of listening to them I'm pretty much always swayed to the opposite side of an issue once they take a side.

leeroybrown

I also note that the person who put that video up on YouTube chose to put one up of them harassing Derek Nolan's parents rather than one of them intimidating Brian Walsh's wife and children.

Lockstep

No wonder noone takes the GAAW seriously.

They should stick to whining about Red Arrows flying over Salthill. Noone pays any attention but at least they're being less offensive.

celty

Just took a look at the youtube video posted by Biko again.

They have BANNED or DELETED any comments which are critical of their protests at the family homes of TDs.

Oh, the irony.

They deliver bucket loads of criticism to the Gardai, Labour, Fine Gael, media, whoever, but they can't take any themselves.

Unlike Niall Farrell, our TDs were actually elected and have a mandate from the people of Galway.

vulcan57

Unfortunately this group specialise in making peoples blood boil to get a reaction and so gain publicity, I'm a victim there as well. They claim to be against war, but how much campaigning have we seen by them against the atrocities taking place in Syria?? The sad fact is that you can bet your bottom dollar that if the Americans or British try to help those being slaughtered, and I'm not suggesting they do, they will be up in arms about it. Everyone's entitled to their opinion and views as long as those opinions are with the law.

galwayrush

That small group are so predictable in their selective protesting of certain wars that they come across as more of an anti British/ US/ Israeli group instead of an anti war group.
Like Vulcan 57 mentioned above, have they anything to say about the horrible events in Syria atm?

Tym

Just my opinion, but they may believe all the Syrian atrocities are US Propaganda?

PomBear

I think the Gardaí actions were brutish and had no legitimate reason but to act like thugs and scare a few people. There was nothing else to achieve here except the destabilise the politics in the Farrell household because it doesn't suit the Gardaí's work.

Saying that, GAAW had no right to protest outside their private family homes. The families of the TD's are not accountable to what TD's do or don't do and do not deserve to have their homes protested in such a way.
Also, I fail to see what Derek Nolan or Brian Walsh have to do with the Gardaí's actions, they're pretty much voiceless backbenchers and have no huge onous or say the Gardaí do, in most cases. The protest appears as though neither Nolan nor Walsh were asked or even had the chance to act on what the feckin eejits in the Gardaí did.

It's a simple show of maturity and a level of cop on in politics not to attack a politician personally or in their personal life and keep it on a political level.

celty

galwayrush wrote: »

That small group are so predictable in their selective protesting of certain wars that they come across as more of an anti British/ US/ Israeli group instead of an anti war group.
Like Vulcan 57 mentioned above, have they anything to say about the horrible events in Syria atm?

Ha, ha. Of course not. Niall Farrell and the GAAW think it's far more despicable that Derek Nolan TD wasn't at home in his mammy's house in Riverside on a Sunday afternoon than that hundreds are being slaughtered in Syria

Only cowards call around in groups of a dozen to a mammy's house like that.

fishy fishy

why did he make the comment about derek nolan being "tall" at the start of the video.

maybe thats why he was protesting

Red_Wake

I've never understood why GAAW are against the red arrows at the airshow.

Surely they'd prefer them flying over Galway than being used as intended.

biko

No offence but let's keep this on the recent protest or this will turn into yet another "Gaaw hates Salthill" thread
The GAAW airshow protests have been discussed at length in previous threads. In short - inclusion of warplanes in the Salthill Air Show is the declared reason.

Red_Wake

Fine so.

They're a shower of cretins for trying to intimidate two TDs.

Wompa1

Using intimidation and fear to try and get what you want.....sounds like Terrorism to me..

jkforde

PomBear wrote: »

I think the Gardaí actions were brutish and had no legitimate reason but to act like thugs and scare a few people. There was nothing else to achieve here except the destabilise the politics in the Farrell household because it doesn't suit the Gardaí's work.

What Farrell says about the conduct of the Garda during the search is possibly exaggerated but they have been know for thick herd mentality before. Why didn't he just audio record the raid on his phone then he'd have some evidence instead of only his word.

Anyhow, why was he being searched? What was the basis of the search warrant I wonder?

fishy fishy

I think they are two separate issues to be honest.

Not sure of why they were raiding his house or what happened there as there is no recording, etc.

however honestly, in retribution this guy decides to go to the TD's in the area - fine, no problem. But he doesn't actually do that does he.

he goes to their elderly parents house? WRONG

seemingly he was already told that the person in question would not be at home - but yet he still goes wondering where he is and personally insulting him at his (closed) front door? DID he just go knowing he would not get a reply and therefore act the "big man".

What was wrong with protesting their offices.

I don't buy the excuse of "they did it to my family, I will do it to theirs"

I wonder what would farrell have done if they targeted his parents house??

I don't think this guy is doing himself any favors to get his points across - he's shooting himself in his little foot ( all in my humble opinion).

Tym

I don't buy the excuse of "they did it to my family, I will do it to theirs"

Jesus, did he actually say that?:O

ben.schlomo

fishy fishy wrote: »

I think they are two separate issues to be honest.

Not sure of why they were raiding his house or what happened there as there is no recording, etc.

however honestly, in retribution this guy decides to go to the TD's in the area - fine, no problem. But he doesn't actually do that does he.

he goes to their elderly parents house? WRONG

seemingly he was already told that the person in question would not be at home - but yet he still goes wondering where he is and personally insulting him at his (closed) front door? DID he just go knowing he would not get a reply and therefore act the "big man".

What was wrong with protesting their offices.

I don't buy the excuse of "they did it to my family, I will do it to theirs"

I wonder what would farrell have done if they targeted his parents house??

I don't think this guy is doing himself any favors to get his points across - he's shooting himself in his little foot ( all in my humble opinion).

Careful now.;)

fishy fishy

Tym wrote: »

Jesus, did he actually say that?:O

not in those exact words, but was he not inferring that the families were fair game because his family was raided.

I'm no supporter of the labour (yellow) party or the fianna fail light party, but I think what this guy did was exactly the wrong way of going about things. Acting out of rage or some other emotion instead of thinking properly I would imagine.

Fozzie Bear

PomBear wrote: »

I think the Gardaí actions were brutish and had no legitimate reason but to act like thugs and scare a few people.

What are you basing that on? What Niall Farrell said? Seriously? You actually believe a word of that twats mouth?

He is a lying muppet and bullsh!t artist of the highest order, who twists and manipulates situations and information to suits his own needs and views. He is without a shadow of doubt doing the exact same thing here.

PomBear wrote: »

There was nothing else to achieve here except the destabilise the politics in the Farrell household because it doesn't suit the Gardaí's work.

I doubt they have destabilised anything to do with Farrell or his Shinner off spring.

I always wonder where was Niall or the GAAW when the IRA were slaughtering thousands of people? Did he have a problem with Maireads activities before she met her deserved end if he is such a peace loving anti war individual and not a two faced cretin?

Mod edit: user banned for being uncivil.

PomBear

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

What are you basing that on? What Niall Farrell said? Seriously? You actually believe a word of that twats mouth?

He is a lying muppet and bullsh!t artist of the highest order, who twists and manipulates situations and information to suits his own needs and views. He is without a shadow of doubt doing the exact same thing here.

The Gardaí did go into the house and searched it, this happened. In my view they had no apparent reason to do this.

The Gardaí or anyone has yet to deny that was the way it happened, as a mature independent thinking person, i'll take that on its merits.
I'll suggest you do the same without spouting off on someone's character that you probably don't know.

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

I doubt they have destabilised anything to do with Farrell or his Shinner off spring.

I always wonder where was Niall or the GAAW when the IRA were slaughtering thousands of people? Did he have a problem with Maireads activities before she met her deserved end if he is such a peace loving anti war individual and not a two faced cretin?

They probably didn't destabilise anything but again from my view, initimidation was one of the only reasons I can see for the raid.

I suppose you could ask GAAW or Mr. Farrell about the IRA.

As for his sister's "deserved end", the European Court of Human Rights would disagree with you there but by the way you're talking, maturity and consideration aren't rated highly in your mind. Probably best to take it to the Politics forum, i'll wait on the edge of my seat for that one...

Wompa1

PomBear wrote: »

The Gardaí did go into the house and searched it, this happened. In my view they had no apparent reason to do this.

The Gardaí or anyone has yet to deny that was the way it happened, as a mature independent thinking person, i'll take that on its merits.
I'll suggest you do the same without spouting off on someone's character that you probably don't know.

I wouldn't advise the Gardaí to disclose the reason for the search if it's an ongoing investigation which may involve others.

I also wouldn't advise Mr. Farrell to actually tell everyone why he thinks the Gardaí did the search. The honest reason, not him saying it was without cause. As he'd probably implicate himself.

PomBear

Wompa1 wrote: »

I wouldn't advise the Gardaí to disclose the reason for the search if it's an ongoing investigation which may involve others.

I also wouldn't advise Mr. Farrell to actually tell everyone why he thinks the Gardaí did the search. The honest reason, not him saying it was without cause. As he'd probably implicate himself.

Sure but the account and the details of the search Mr. Farrell would certainly not show any particular reasoning as to what they're investigating as far as I can see and i'm sure the Gardaí would love to show Mr. Farrell to be lying were that the case.

I'm just giving my opinion that I believe they'd have no other reason to raid his family home other than political intimidation, I could be proven wrong on that if something unforeseen is found.

Raging_Ninja

PomBear wrote: »

Sure but the account and the details of the search Mr. Farrell would certainly not show any particular reasoning as to what they're investigating as far as I can see and i'm sure the Gardaí would love to show Mr. Farrell to be lying were that the case.

I'm just giving my opinion that I believe they'd have no other reason to raid his family home other than political intimidation, I could be proven wrong on that if something unforeseen is found.

The only details of the search so far have been provided by the person who was on the receiving end. That's not really the most unbiased of accounts.

Would not a search warrant have been presented to the owner of the house?

And why would they want to 'intimidate' a nobody from a tiny fringe group?

PomBear

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

The only details of the search so far have been provided by the person who was on the receiving end. That's not really the most unbiased of accounts.

Would not a search warrant have been presented to the owner of the house?

And why would they want to 'intimidate' a nobody from a tiny fringe group?

Again, I don't take what his report as gospel but I judge it on its merits. The only thing we know for a certain is a raid happened.

Raging_Ninja

PomBear wrote: »

Again, I don't take what his report as gospel but I judge it on its merits. The only thing we know for a certain is a raid happened.

did a raid actually occur though? only thing i've heard is his claim that he was raided and items were taken.

PomBear

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

did a raid actually occur though? only thing i've heard is his claim that he was raided and items were taken.

If a raid didn't occur then the Gardaí would obviously be very quick to refute it...