I ran for my life
Joan tells court of terror as water demo protesters ‘surrounded’ car
FORMER Tanaiste Joan Burton has told how she “ran for her life” during a “wild” water protest in which a crowd surrounded her car. Seven people including Solidarity TD Paul Murphy are on trial charged with falsely imprisoning the ex-labour leader and her advisor Karen O’connell on November 15, 2014. The court heard yesterday how Ms Burton was trapped in a number of Garda vehicles for up to three hours as the pair attempted to leave a graduation ceremony in Jobstown, Tallaght, South Dublin. The TD, who was close to tears giving evidence, revealed she and her advisor were told by gardai to exit quickly by a side door to a waiting unmarked saloon car. Ms Burton added when they got into the vehicle it was immediately surrounded by a large crowd shouting and banging on the car. She also told the court it was pelted with water balloons and eggs, one of which she claimed hit her in the back of the neck.
WILD
Ms Burton said: “The gardai told us, ‘You have to run now’. There was a line of gardai to each side of me. “At that stage it was very terrifying because the crowd was beginning to surge. I was terrified I was going to fall. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, the crowd was wild.” The court heard Ms O’connell became extremely upset and began to cry and that Ms Burton put her arms around her. The former Social Protection Minister added: “There were two lines of gardai to one side of the car when I got out. “The crowd surged, the shouting and roaring was much more intense. “I lost my shoe and thought, ‘If the crowd got us where would we run to and how would I run without my shoe?’ “The inspector stood in front of me and walked backwards. “He kept saying, ‘Look at me, look at me’, to try and keep me focused because I didn’t know what was going to happen. “My fear was that if these people got this door open where would we run to? To be honest I felt I was running for my life. “I just legged it as fast as I could, I don’t know how I got the energy.” Ms Burton told the court people were shouting “bitch” and “c***” at her. She said: “One woman at the side of the window was very enraged, banging on the door. She was very, very, very angry. It was very disturbing. The banging was quite intense. The guards could not move the car. “I was very concerned for the children who were also in the crowd. “The guards were getting a horrible time, they were being pushed and shoved and pelted with eggs.” Ms Burton described one officer beside her car window as “very stoical, he just stayed right where he was”. She added the vehicle made “very painful progress, inch by inch by inch” through the crowd. Ms Burton added gardai then sped off into the hills in Saggart. She said throughout the incident, a number of people contacted her by text, phone calls and social media, including her daughter and her Labour Party colleague Brendan Howlin. Ms Burton told the court Mr Murphy looked “pretty happy with himself ” and was “smiling broadly” as he spoke through a megaphone. However, she said at one point she heard him say “peaceful protest” or “something like that”. During cross examination by defence the team, Ms Burton was told repeatedly to answer questions directly instead of giving a “lengthy political answer”. At one point, lawyer Sean Guerin was told by Judge Melanie Greally to behave “with courtesy” towards the witness, whom he did not look in the eye for most of his questioning. The seven defendants are accused of imprisoning Ms Burton and Ms O’connell during a water protest by
restricting their personal liberty without their consent. They had been at a graduation ceremony in the education centre of An Cosan where about 60 people were receiving degrees and diplomas. Mr Murphy, of Kingswood Heights, Kieran Mahon, 39, of Bolbrook Grove, Frank Donaghy, 71, of Alpine Rise, Ken Purcell, 50, of Kiltalown Green, Michael Banks, 46, of Brookview Green, Scott Masterson, 34, of Carrigmore Drive, all Tallaght, and 53-year-old Michael Murphy, of Whitechurch Way, Ballyboden, South Dublin, have all pleaded not guilty. The trial before Judge Greally and a jury of five women and seven men at Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court is expected to last five weeks.
The crowd surged, the shouting and roaring was very intense JOAN BURTON DUBLIN YESTERDAY