Garda handling of protest to be examined

Doctors were worried about the condition of the female garda who was knocked out when a traffic cone struck her on the head during Wednesday’s protest outside Leinster House.

The garda lost feeling in her arm for a period while in hospital and staff were concerned she might have suffered nerve damage but she later recovered.

The garda has not yet returned to work. Colleagues said the garda could have been blinded or had her neck broken by the missile.

It comes as Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan is to appear before an Oireachtas committee this morning, where she will be questioned about how gardaí handled the events.

Former justice minister Alan Shatter said there were four gardaí at the gates of Leinster House when he tried to drive his car in. He said it took protestors a few minutes to recognise him.

“They started chanting abuse and kicking the car,” he told Newstalk.

“Unfortunately, it was disappointing, while this was taking place the four members of An Garda Siochana just stood there and observed it. They didn’t intervene.”

He said there was a “basic constitutional imperative” that members of parliament should be able to enter Leinster House.

“Gardaí have a role to ensure access to parliament. There was a failure in that regard. This is a serious issue,” he said.

He said he had spoken to Commissioner O’Sullivan about it. He accepted gardaí had a “very difficult job” and that later in the evening the protest was even rowdier.

Local Senator's car blocked by anti water protests.Disgraceful scenes as bean Garda injured pic.twitter.com/lSsXEWLxvM

— Gerry Malone (@LiveatOriel) July 2, 2015

Labour senator Mary Moran was caught up in the later events, when her car was blocked from leaving Kildare Street.

“People were hammering on the window of the car, spitting and shouting abuse,” she told RTÉ.

“It was nothing short of thuggery from a certain element. The animosity shown to the gardaí was absolutely horrific. I couldn’t praise the gardaí highly enough.”

She described as “horrific” the assault on the female garda: “A female garda was standing close to my car.

“A traffic cone came across the car and hit the girl and she dropped like a tonne of bricks. She was knocked unconscious.”

Gardai say a female Garda was assaulted, and fell unconscious at the scene, after being struck. #Leinsterhouse pic.twitter.com/ie0vNwmhaT

— Zara King (@ZaraKing) July 1, 2015

Garda sources told the Irish Examiner that the garda was unconscious for a short while, but, got back up and continued her duties.

“After the melee died down and the adrenaline was spent, the shock and pain hit her,” said a source. She was taken to St James’s Hospital.

Organisers involved in the protest accused gardaí of being “very forceful” and “very provocative”.

Councillor Mick O’Brien of the Anti-Austerity Alliance said that he had seen people with wounds “inflicted on them by the guards who drew batons”.

He said that he saw the traffic cone being thrown and said he condemned such behaviour.