Response to protests and arrests
Senators dispute whether protests against politicians constituted abuse or imprisonment, while discussing public order, arrests and the political sensitivity of the events.
I must disagree strongly with my good friend, Senator Darragh O'Brien, whom I greatly admire. An attempt is being made to demonise Deputy Paul Murphy, who is a duly elected public representative. People should be able to disagree, but why call it "verbal abuse"? Come on. Has the Senator any idea what I went through over 30 years? I went through death threats and filthy abuse. I laughed at them. People should grow up. They are adults and should be able to take verbal abuse. I do not say it is pleasant or always appropriate, but it is not the bloody third world war.
The police knocked on the doors of those they arrested before dawn - at 7 a.m. - getting people out of their beds.
Comment on this
Come on. Who is being dramatic now?
Comment on this
It is happening now at the instigation of Ma Merkel. I have no time for this kind of action. They had every opportunity-----
Comment on this
On a point of order, is Senator Norris condoning the imprisonment of a member of the Government in a car?
Comment on this
Frankly, I would imprison the whole bloody lot. It was not imprisonment. For heaven's sake, being delayed in a car for a couple of hours is not imprisonment. I know a little about prison. I used to visit people in prison and know the conditions they were in. This incident was nothing like that. Grow up. The Germans should grow up too.
The man from Syriza raised the question of the outstanding debt - the €180 billion or so the Germans squeezed forcibly out of the Greek banks at the end of the war - and asked for it to be repaid and was told there was nothing to repay. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said Greece brought this situation on itself whereas Germany, at the debt conference in 1953, had completely clean hands. Hello? There were two world wars and approximately 30 million or 40 million people were killed. I do not know the exact number. Let us have some realism. This country should be ashamed of not supporting the Greeks. They are right to call for a debt conference.