Burton rejects the idea of an public inquiry – but has said the Jobstown protest experience “will live with us forever” – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Burton rejects the idea of an public inquiry – but has said the Jobstown protest experience “will live with us forever”




Image: RTE News

The former Tánaiste and Labour party TD has spoken publicly about her and Karen O’Donnell’s experiences during the Jobstown Irish Water protests.

Ms Burton who along with Ms O’Donnell were left trapped inside a vehicle for over three hours as angry protestors banged on the windows whilst shouting many insults, said the experience “will live with them for ever.”

The former Tánaiste who managed to hold onto her seat in the Dáil in the last General Election despite her party’s dismal showing, gave her assessment of the situation and her experiences during the event, during a recent interview with Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ’s Radio 1 This Morning Programme.

Speaking about her ordeal Ms Burton told the programme that it was an experience she “wouldn’t like anybody to have to go through and that the day will live with her and Ms O’Donnell forever.”

When asked by the shows host about the recent trial for those involved and its impact on her, the former Tánaiste responded by saying the campaign carried out on social media before and during its process was orchestrated by trolls.

Ms Burton explained: ‘We are going to have to look at social media in the context of trials, trolling on social media can be just horrific.” “You don’t want to know.”

“In another era, we would have called this kind of stuff and this kind of talk hate speech, it can’t be healthy for the people who are writing this stuff and it’s certainly not healthy for our society.”

However despite the trials recent outcome Ms Burton told the programme that she didn’t support the idea of a public inquiry.

Ms Burton said: “We have run ourselves into the ground on public inquiries in Ireland at enormous cost and enormous expense in terms of legal advice.”

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