Anti-water levy protesters like fascists: Burton

Tánaiste Joan Burton has compared anti-water charge protesters who trapped her in a car to fascists.

The Labour Party leader made the extraordinary claim in the aftermath of events last month when demonstrators besieged her car for more than an hour, and she was struck on the back of the head with a water balloon.

She also appeared to draw comparisons between alleged use of torture by the British army in Northern Ireland and the methods of some Government opponents. “I have to say at times when I was in that car I was worried about the parallels with fascism.

“How you move from a situation where you are arguing, as you see it, from a democratic point of view but you then decide that imprisoning people in a car is an appropriate way to treat people, or to have some kind of a democratic discussion, I simply don’t know,” Ms Burton said.

She then referenced the “hooded men” case in which victims of alleged British torture are taking their claims to the European Court of Human Rights.

“One of the most important decisions that the Government made a few weeks ago... was to refer back to the European Court of Human Rights the case from the early 1970s of the hooded men and at the heart of that was how people were treated.

“If some of the people who are operating politically in Ireland think they can turn our streets into areas where people are imprisoned in cars and that that is some kind of a democratic dialogue, I couldn’t disagree with them more,” she said.

“I suppose I had a couple of hours to reflect on what it would be like if we had a country run by some of the people who were outside and who seem to have a utterly nihilistic approach,” said Ms Burton.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil Kerry Senator Mark Daly was last night facing the loss of the party whip for failing to vote along party lines during a Seanad debate on the Water Services Bill in the early hours of Saturday.

While a Fianna Fáil spokeswoman said he faced losing the whip for voting against party lines, Mr Daly said he had not voted against the party line.

The senator said he had voted against a Government attempt to “guillotine” debate on the bill by adjourning it to this afternoon when the vote would take place at 6pm regardless, leaving no time for debate.

Mr Daly said he was awaiting clarification from the party.