TD ‘sorry’ gardaí were called to protest

Labour TD Michael McCarthy has apologised to a protester after gardaí were called to his offices in Dunmanway, Co Cork, last week.

Fresh from the so-called pizzagate prank, which saw the Cork South-West TD join some of his fellow Dáil members in making a hoax phonecall to Independent TD Mattie McGrath as he staged a sit-in at the headquarters of Friends First Finance in Dublin, Mr McCarthy learned gardaí had been called to his constituency office after a woman tried to take a photograph while protesting against cuts to the carers’ respite grant.

The protester, Gaia Charis, who cares for her child, who has autism, carried a homemade placard asking for the budget cuts to be reversed. She intended to take her sign to the offices of each of the three West Cork TDs — Mr McCarthy, and Fine Gael’s Jim Daly and Noel Harrington — in an effort to highlight the effect cuts to the carers’ respite grant will have on those who care for disabled or elderly family members at home.