It was a grim day that will truly live on in infamy in the annals of Irish history forever: the Kildare Street Jostling of 2023.
Lest we forget this immense tragedy – which was effectively like another Siege of Jadotville, in a sense – a protest was held last week, during which a small group of rogue idiots engaged in some argy bargy with a TD as he left the Dáil. One individual pushed him a bit, while another threw what appeared to be an empty Coke bottle at him and missed, in an incident that will no doubt come to be known as “The Empty Coke Bottle Heard Around The World.”
One more individual held up a very inflammatory diorama of a gallows with photos of politicians attached, apparently saying they deserve the death penalty – a very hyperbolic, unpleasant, and over-the-top message, to be sure.
For the avoidance of all doubt, putting sarcasm aside for a moment, it’s worth saying for the thousandth time that everyone and their grandmother has already condemned these actions, myself included, and that we’re all on the same page as a society about these things being out of bounds. I’d imagine if someone showed up to a protest with an image of myself being hanged at the gallows, I’d find that thoroughly creepy and unpleasant, and no doubt the politicians in question justifiably do too. It’s not on, as we’re all aware.
Several people were arrested for public order offences following this event, and looking at the footage, at least some of them definitely deserved to be. It’s encouraging to see that existing legislation was able to deal with certain undesirables who evidently went too far.
So that’s that problem sorted, right? Evidently, whatever system is currently in place is sufficient to prevent such drama – job done.
Well, not according to some.
According the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, the Dáil is in such constant danger, that deploying the military around the building on an ongoing basis for security is a reasonable and proportional move, and not insane at all. As reported in the Irish Examiner this morning:
Calls for Defence Forces to provide extra security at Leinster House https://t.co/H5O8Omx54k
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) September 29, 2023
This seems to echo calls by Justice Minister Helen McEntee last week to use counter-terrorism legislation to deal with such protests in the future.
Offences Against the State Act to be considered with enhanced security around Dáil on budget day https://t.co/rOOt2vKrq1
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) September 23, 2023
Now frankly, this plan doesn’t go far enough if you ask me. I think politicians should consider having a moat filled with alligators around Kildare Street. They might also consider wearing full-body bomb disposal suits around the building at all times, like the ones from the movie the Hurt Locker, just to be safe. You just can’t be too careful when it comes to these things.
All jokes aside, while this policy may or may not be in direct response to the Kildare Street royal rumble last week, it’s clear that protests like Wednesday’s are what the politicians have in mind. The vast majority of protests of all political persuasions are totally peaceful, and the odd time once things get a bit out of hand, something minor like this happens. So deploying the army is evidently supposed to prevent these occurrences, and it’s ludicrously over-the-top.
The point has been made many times already, but it’s clear that this insane overreaction to what is ultimately a fairly minor incident contrasts starkly with the comparative lack of reaction to Sinn Féin activists storming Leinster House in a January 6th-esque fashion just a few years ago.
Helen McEntee is now talking about employing anti-terrorism legislation after Wednesday's scenes. Absolute madness.
It goes without saying that two wrongs don't make a right – all political intimidation is clearly very bad, and everyone sane condemns it. But look at this footage… pic.twitter.com/gwD5CGFV8F
— Ben Scallan 🇮🇪 (@Ben_Scallan) September 24, 2023
Sinn Féin is, of course, a party historically linked to political violence, with shadowy connections to rifle-wielding paramilitary insurgents within living memory. But when Sinn Féin activists stormed through the gates of the country’s government building, nobody at the time felt the need to employ anti-terrorism legislation or deploy the military going forward. Because they saw it for what it was – a load of unarmed eejits getting uppity.
I mean, can you even imagine if a rightwing or “far-right” party which had historically been connected to violence and terror offences burst through the gates of the Dáil through police lines? God help us, we’d never hear the end of it.
The point is evidently not not say “Sinn Féin did it, ergo it’s OK.” The point is that back then, we recognised these things for what they are – a dumb scuffle by a handful of hopped up activists. We had the good sense and perspective to recognise scale and proportionality, and not spiral into a hyperventilating national freakout over what is essentially nothing.
Even that Sinn Féin protest was nothing, in fact, compared to common demonstrations in other countries like France, where attacks on police and flipped burning cars are a frequent occurrence.
In the pension protests earlier this year, French lads literally set the Bordeaux town hall on fire.
Bordeaux town hall set on fire in France pension protests https://t.co/OtKkJFQNB7
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 23, 2023
The French have been known to show up to protests with guillotine dioramas as a warning to politicians, in a country historically known for beheading its leaders, amid months of riots.
French politicians threatened with the guillotine if they support Macron's pension reform https://t.co/hMB6vgx0nE
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 20, 2023
Once again, that observation doesn’t justify anything, nor does it attempt to: all of this is clearly very wrong. I would never support or attend such a protest. The point is simply to put things in their proper perspective, and to demonstrate that a couple of lads getting a bit pushy and shouty is not even close to the national crisis we’re pretending it is.
At this point, the only question I have left is are politicians really so sensitive and hysterical that they believe these crazy measures are justified, or do they know it’s absurd, and they’re just milking it for political gain at this point?
As always, time will no doubt tell.