Paul Murphy TD arrested on trumped up charges designed to discredit Anti-Water Charges campaign

national | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report

Monday February 09, 2015 11:36

by no to Irish Water

After the relatively large turn-out to the Anti-Water charges protests over a week ago on Saturday the 31st, the government is worried that their propaganda hasn't worked as well as it should so in response they have launched a new dirty tricks campaign to discredit the Anti-Water charges campaign. They are using the same strategy as that used in the Corrib Gas issue in Mayo over the past decade where the strategy was to criminalise the protests in the eyes of the public.

The central principle is quite easy to understand. No-one likes to be associated with criminals. It's a social no-no. Therefore the government simply imply that the protesters are criminals. They do this by arresting people on false and trumped up charges. Then they give saturation coverage of the arrests in the media and in that way the mud sticks and hopefully regular people then run a mile. Unfortunately it usually works. A more recent example of this was when Clare Daly TD was "arrested" for drink driving. Not coincidently she had been one of the few politicians who brought the issue to the attention of the public. And then over one year later, we finally get the admission from government that in fact she was NOT over the limit and there would be no charges. The point is though that the damage was done.

In today's political policing operation, three others were arrested with Paul Murphy on the ridiculous charge of false imprisonment relating to Joan Burton being trapped in her car a few months ago at a protest in Tallaght. This of course is utter nonsense. What we are likely to see is that of the other three people at least one or two will have some kind of other charge levelled at them like disturbing the peace. It may be too political dangerous to actually charge Paul Murphy because fear of some kind of backlash in the people see through this farce, but by charging the others the government and their lackeys in the media can then associate and tarnish Murphy with their "criminal" record. And thereby anyone who opens their mouth in polite company against the water charges will be immediately accused of associating and supporting criminal elements.

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Comments (3 of 3)

Photos of protests outside Tallaght Garda station over latest government smear campaign

by Right2Water

Mon Feb 09, 2015 20:22

Steal billions and you get a six figure salary from NAMA. Peacefully protest that theft and you get arrested. Protests are being called at stations where protestors are being held. Murphy is being held at Terenure according to the news.

Two are being held at Terenure and two at Tallaght stations. Protests called for those stations

rte/government trying to worry the sheep so they wont come out and protest...

by Rua

Tue Feb 10, 2015 09:08

If you give a man a gun he can rob a bank , if you give a man a suit he can rob the world.

What happened was an RTE/Government conspiracy to smear Paul Murphy i agree,its all about worrying the sheep,tarnishing them and making them social pariahs, but you cannot trust Paul Murphy either - his biggest problem is getting elected again,and he is chasing votes in Tallagt or Jobstown,he knows he's got to secure his seat,so all this media attention,as negative and as biased as it is,might not be doing him much harm when it comes to votes.

Although the water fiasco of late,would even have me voting for Paul Murphy,i see it for the farce it is.

I think whatever about paying for water,)which im not doing and wont be paying for this farce of a set up)alone its been very badly handled from the get go,and this should have been the focal point of the protests,and i think you would have more people on the streets with that campaign,as opposed to the 'we wont pay' campaign.You see the problem is in Ireland,getting through to the comfortable middle class block.

straight talking

by Con Carroll

Thu Feb 12, 2015 15:50

if we are going to defeat this water charge campaign. then we are going to have to work together in non sectarian way in communities
there were other people arrested beside those who are elected members of Socialist Party
did those elected members who were released go and stand with other people who were arrested. including a 16 year old youth
or did our elected members have a vision from Marx. which spoke and told them that they wedre the representitives of working class opposing water charges

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Paul Murphy TD arrested on trumped up charges designed to discredit Anti-Water Charges campaign

Comments (3 of 3)