Socialist arrested by Gardaí
There is one law for the rich and one law for the poor. Charlie
Haughey won't be going to jail for corruption and tax evasion. Not a
single tax dodger has ever seen the inside of an Irish prison. But
when Peadar O'Grady, a Socialist Workers Party candidate in the
general election, denounced corruption at a street meeting in
Dublin's Rathmines, he was arrested under the Public Order Act.
When this Act was passed by the Dáil we were assured that
its purpose was to clear the streets of drunken gangs, it was not
intended for use against strikers or protesters. Yeah, sure. So how
come the TEAM Aer Lingus strikers who marched around Dublin airport
in 1994 were threatened with it? Or the residents who wanted to
protest outside a water charges case in Balbriggan courthouse?
When the government (any government) wants extra powers that might
be used against those who are not considered criminals by most
ordinary people, they tend to promise that the new powers will only
be used against people who are regarded as criminal or anti-social.
But soon after the legislation is on the statute books the mask comes
off.
Back in the early 1970s non-jury courts were reintroduced to deal
with alleged jury intimidation by the IRA. Everyone was assured that
nobody else would be denied a jury trial. Yet all sorts of people
accused of relatively minor crimes, who have no IRA connections and
have never been accused of jury intimidation, have ended up in the
no-jury Special Criminal Court.
At the same time a law was passed to prevent homeless families
squatting in empty houses owned by private landlords. Again we were
assured that only squatters would be effected (as if using the law
against homeless people was a good thing!). Yet when striking workers
occupied the Liffey Dockyard they were charged under this law.
O'Grady was speaking at an outdoor election meeting on May 17th.
When he began talking about the links between Charles Haughey,
Michael Lowry and Ben Dunne he was approached by a Garda and told
that he "can not say things like that". When he insisted on
continuing with his speech he was arrested under the Public Order Act
and taken away in a Garda car.
After two hours in Rathmines Garda station they said they were
releasing him but as soon as he attempted to lodge a complaint about
his treatment, he was re-arrested, inside the station. The
Gardaí claim that the 32 year old Child Psychiatrist then
assaulted a Garda in broad daylight, inside their station, and in
full view of at least three other Gardaí. O'Grady believes
that this charge was concocted in an attempt to muddy the waters with
regard to the original issue of Garda censorship of political
activity.
For nearly two months after the incident the media carried stories
about an election candidate charged with assaulting a Garda. Few
reported on the political implications of the original incident.
Rather interestingly, the name of Dr O'Grady's workplace appeared
in the 'Irish Times' report of his first court appearance - despite
the fact that his workplace was never mentioned in court. O'Grady
had, however, given the name of his workplace to the Gardaí at
Rathmines station because he was asked to.
It seems that, not only do the Gardaí was to use the
assault charge to mask their effort to silence free speech during an
election campaign, but they want to harm Dr. O'Grady's professional
standing and his career as a childcare worker. On September 30th he
will be tried in the District Court, without the benefit of a jury. A
single judge will hear the case, even through the charges carry a
penalty of up to one year in jail.
