Mob rule not acceptable protest - Water charge anger

Freedom of movement is a basic human right in states around the world, including in this Republic, where such liberties were hard won by people down the years.

Equally, the right to protest is also a fundamental plank of democracy. But when mob rule takes over and the right of citizens to move freely in society is denied, things get badly out of hand.

Clearly, it is unacceptable if protesters feel entitled to usurp such essential rights by taking the law into their own hands. That happened over the weekend when an obviously terrified Tánaiste and Labour Party leader, Joan Burton, was trapped in her state car for more than two hours by hundreds of so-called peaceful demonstrators engaged in a protest against the imposition of water charges. She had to be rescued by a large force of gardaí and was finally transferred to a garda car to make good her escape.