Cllr. Ted Tynan
Cork Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan has called on garda Chief Superintendent Michael Finn to stand down the newly established water protest unit established in the city this week.
Cllr. Tynan, who is a member of the Cork City Council Policing Forum has said he will be raising the matter at the forum’s next meeting.
He said the new unit would only do harm and he rejected the garda claim that the unit was required to ensure protests don’t turn violent saying the suggestion is insulting and provocative.
Cllr. Tynan said, “The reality is that there has been no trouble at any water protest in Cork. Any stand-off that has occurred has been the result of a handful of overzealous water contractors shouting the odds at peaceful water protesters or in some cases by a few gung-ho gardaí who have disturbed the peace by coming in heavy handed where there has been no trouble”.
“I have been at many anti-water charges protests over the past 2 years and I will continue to participate in them. I have seen nothing other than good-natured banter and flowerings of a community spirit that has been missing in this country for years – a community spirit the gardaí should be grateful for of instead of attempting to criminalise” said Cllr Tynan.
He continued, “I would like to know where these gardai are being taken from. What stations are being closed down to put this unit on to the streets? A 25 member unit for a small area like Cork city replicated across the state would mean up to 500 gardai diverted into enforcing water metering at the behest of a utility that is on borrowed time. Last week the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald announced 600 new garda recruits, I would like to ask her is this what she’s recruiting them for? Dealing with real crime or for political policing of peaceful protests?” queried Cllr. Tynan