Protest outside Roderick O' Gormans home - read OP before posting

riffmongous

Alternative title: Masked nutjobs besiege Roderick O' Gormans home

Deserving of it's own thread I think*

A bunch of Dublin's finest wearing balaclavas went to ROG's house and hung up signs going on about an 'invasion' and 'plantation', there is a video on the reddit thread below.

Coming a few weeks after a Croatian man was beaten to death by far-right racist thugs, I'm amazed the guards just stood by here and watched.

It's one thing to demonstrate against a politician when you are unhappy with them, but that's a far cry from the obvious physical intimidation that was going on here.

Are we heading towards a repeat of the Jo Cox murder here?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1c7rrz8/masked_men_hang_banners_on_roderic_ogormans_house/

*Note: These kind of events and the implied intimidation of political figures have implications for politics in Ireland that go beyond immigration imo

Mod warning

This thread is about the protests outside O'Gorman's home. It is not about his electability, and to answer a question earlier in the thread it most certainly is not about immigration.

Brussels Sprout

That is sinister and should not be allowed.

Poon Tang

So what angles are we allowed to discuss regarding this incident?

The OP mentions immigration here in their comment, and the protestors seem to be motivated by such issues as well.

Or is it purely a discussion on protesting style / tactics?

Is this a moral or legal issue?

Trigger Happy

Absolute thugs.

If you want to protest at government policy there are any number of ways you can do that. But turning up outside someone's home really shows the character of these 'patriots'.

Bobson Dugnutt

The more unsavoury aspects of the water protests over a decade ago were the groundwork for this. It crossed a rubicon in terms of what was acceptable when it comes to protest.

Also need to get to the bottom of who is funding the disinformation campaigns online. Morons are becoming radicalised having been fed a constant stream of propaganda and disinformation.This isn’t some organic movement that suddenly emerged.

It sound dramatic, but our democracy is under attack.

ToweringPerformance

Bizarre from the OP trying to link what happened to the Croatian guy with this protest.

Mal-Adjusted

While i have no issue with peaceful protest regardless of whether I agree with the issue or not, doing so outside singing own house is a pretty $h1tty thing to do and I've no time for it.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037842#Comment_122037842

This is masked scumbags harassing a politician at their home. Something that most people generally oppose and politicians absolutely should not feel unsafe as they would in this scenario.

Agent Coulson

All so brave they hide their faces.

concerned_tenant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037874#Comment_122037874

Our democracy is not under attack.

It's a tiny number of mindless scumbags. They shouldn't be allowed to protest outside TD's homes, that's for sure — but neither are they representative of an attack on democracy.

It's elevating their scumbaggery to a level they quite simply do not deserve.

Cluedo Monopoly

Fcuking cowardly gobshiites. Everything O'Gorman does is implicitly approved by cabinet. If you want to protest, go to the Dail or wherever. These are the types of idiots that burn buildings.

For Forks Sake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037885#Comment_122037885

Same muppets were probably declaring "you won't make me cover my face with a mask" four years ago 🙄

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037892#Comment_122037892

Given the amount of trouble that these individuals have caused in the last year, I imagine people will choose to not run for office because they have concerns for their safety, including that of their family. That's a pretty serious issue IMHO.

concerned_tenant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037930#Comment_122037930

A law should be passed that political protests outside a TD's home is illegal and subject to prosecution / incarceration.

I would also include a clause that includes intimidation of TDs at any time of the week.

As TDs carry democratic weight on their shoulders, it makes sense — in this case — to pass legislation to ensure they have greater protections under the law, both at work and at home.

Ryaller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037875#Comment_122037875

It really isn't.

Poon Tang

What does the law say with regard to these incidents?

GBX

I'd be similar in not having much time for ROG. Protesting is fine and anybody in public office should be answerable to decisions they make and the effect it has on our society. Obviously those protesting believe their social media posts are not being entertained, so they are protesting at govt buildings and homes. However there is this agenda by those individuals of intimidation and being overzealous. Door stopping politicians, no matter which party etc should not be allowed within a certain distance of a persons home.
It is only playing into the politicians and Gardai hands that they are trying to reduce the amount of protests and demonstrations. Look at how they mobilise barriers around Leinster House? Democracy, we are led to believe, is representative of the people in office but they are not willing to listen or answer to the people.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037875#Comment_122037875

Not Bizarre, 100% on point. It's the same basic sentiment, attack the foreigner and anyone whom supports them

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037961#Comment_122037961

This is people hiding behind masks showing up at someone house. What has that got to do with democracy?

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037930#Comment_122037930

yeah the likes of ciaran cannon are not running for election again because of the toxicity that has emerged

riffmongous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037875#Comment_122037875

You think? To me it's definitely linked, foreign man beaten to death (allegedly by a far right linked thug) after being singled out for not speaking English - far right nutjobs going on about an invasion and plantation of foreigners

Hamachi

It’s not acceptable to protest directly outside a politician’s residence. That’s a given.

One thing I will say. I lived in O’Gorman’s constituency until very recently. I also continue to coach a sports team there. Many people posting here have no idea of the degree of contempt with which O’Gorman is held in Dublin 15.

It doesn’t pardon these actions but is a very raw manifestation of the sentiment out there towards him.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038053#Comment_122038053

Masked individuals showing up is not a raw manifestation. I would put money on the vast majority of them not being from the area...

Poon Tang

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122037966#Comment_122037966

I had the impression that they were targeting ROG, because of his support for unpopular/damaging government policies? (from their perspective)

Or do I have the wrong end of the stick there?

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038081#Comment_122038081

I don’t care what you do with your money. I’m conveying how ROG is perceived in his constituency.

evolvingtipperary101

Remember when English hooligans ripped up parts of Lansdowne Road and stopped the game? Remember the Gardaí response? Something similar is appropriate here.

Poon Tang

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038010#Comment_122038010

So, is this topic related to the discussion on immigration? Is it for discussing left/right wing issues?

Or was it solely opened to discuss protesting styles / tactics?

Clo-Clo

This has been bubbling for years now, you can see these people growing and the infatuation with TD's online and now out on the streets are growing.

People have decided not to accept any responsibility for their own lives and blame TD's for everything that is gone wrong in their lives.

It has started online, when you see people spending 15+ hours online to just spew bile, they will soon not get the reaction online and it bubbles over to this

Like online, they hide their faces.

I would have no issue with the Gardai going in and kicking a few lumps out of the lot of them.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038092#Comment_122038092

The fact that he's gay seems to get right up their noses too, as it did with Vradakar.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038053#Comment_122038053

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038096#Comment_122038096

Yet the last prediction I seen he would be voted back in. So that doesn't really add up

Dublin West now is probably about 130-150k people. Not sure how you can make a statement of what everyone in Dublin West think of ROG?

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122038120#Comment_122038120

Yep he's always been subject to pretty vile rhetoric.