Paul Murphy TD has strongly urged protesters who shouted appalling insults at President Higgins to apologise.
Mr Murphy has called for the apology after anti-water charge demonstrators shouted disgraceful slurs like “midget”, “traitor” and “parasite” at President Higgins during a visit to a school in Finglas in Dublin last week.
The insults were captured on video and then uploaded to YouTube recently which has caused widespread condemnation of the protesters’ actions with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny stating that the incident was “deplorable”.
Mr Murphy told reporters that the people responsible should apologise to the President.
Mr Murphy said: “I think they should apologise for using personal abuse, for the names that they called him,” he said. “That’s inappropriate, it doesn’t add anything to the cause against the water charges. “I think I know who they were, I think I’ve seen them on previous protests.
He went onto say: “I don’t have their phone numbers, and couldn’t pick up the phone to ring them, no.”