Joan Burton to face Socialist fire in Dáil over water protest arrests

Tensions over the garda investigation into the anti-water charge protest in Tallaght, Dublin, last November are set to ratchet up today with confrontations in the Dáil, as well as a planned demonstration outside the Department of Justice, as further arrests were made yesterday.

A total of 13 people — including three politicians — have been arrested in the first three days of this week, including five yesterday.

Garda sources have already said up to 40 people are due to be arrested over a three-week period.

A combined garda file on the arrests is likely to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the end of March.

All the arrests are connected to the events of November 15 last at Jobstown in Tallaght, where Tánaiste Joan Burton was hit in the face with a water bomb before being trapped in her car, along with her adviser Karen O’Connell, for around two hours by protesters.

Socialist Party TDs, including Paul Murphy — one of the four people arrested on Monday — are set for a showdown in the Dáil this morning with Ms Burton when the Tánaiste takes leader’s questions.

Then, the Anti-Austerity Alliance, which includes the Socialist Party, will hold a protest outside the Department of Justice offices on St Stephen’s Green at 6.30pm against what they claim is “political policing”.

Garda sources have rejected the claims, insisting the arrest operation was a decision made solely by local garda management.

They have said Garda headquarters did not even know about the operation until after the arrests on Monday morning.

Of the five people arrested yesterday, four were picked up early in the morning, including a 14-year-old boy. He was interviewed, as required under law, in the presence of a parent, in this case his mother.

He, along with three others, were released around lunchtime.

The fifth person was arrested later in the morning and was released yesterday evening.

One of the people arrested was a man suspected of throwing a brick at a garda car during the protest.

Speaking outside the Dáil yesterday, Mr Murphy claimed the arrests may be coming from “the political brain of someone high up in the gardaí”.

Meanwhile a small group of protesters holding placards last night staged a protest outside the Tánaiste’s home in Dublin.

A number of gardaí were present throughout the protest.