A member of the Laois Palastine Solidarity Campaign says the group’s overall message is being lost following events outside the Dail over the weekend.
Laois native Ger Dillon made the comments speaking to Will Faulkner on Midlands 103 this morning.
On Sunday, Mother’s Day, members of the Mothers Against Genocide group protested over the ongoing situation in Gaza.
On Monday morning, a total of 14 people who attended the protest were arrested after an entrance to Leinster House in Dublin was blocked.
In the Dail yesterday, Solidarity-People-Before-Profit TD Richard Byod-Barrett read out a statement outlining claims some of the group had made in relation to the treatment they say they received while being arrested.
He said: “The group Mothers Against Genocide, on a Mother’s Day protest to show solidarity with women and children in Palestine, in Lebanon, and so on, who have been slaughtered over the last 18 months, had a peaceful sit-down protest.
“They are arrested very, very violently in some cases, including Palestinian and Lebanese people who have actually suffered the horrors of the last 18 months, and some then are strip searched.
“To read you one description – ‘I was stripped completely naked, and was asked to remove my underwear.
“When I questioned the necessity of this, I was told I would be forced violently if I didn’t comply, and that they didn’t want any trouble.
“After removing my underwear, they looked inside my private areas and touched all my sensitive parts.
“It is absolutely disgusting. These were peaceful women protesters on a Mother’s Day protest.
“Now, do you condone that kind of treatment of people who were a threat to nobody? There’s certainly not a threat.
“It’s absolutely outrageous behaviour. Do you condemn that? And is that where we’re heading? Is that the sort of society, Taoiseach, we’re heading (towards)?”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he would follow up on the allegations with the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.
Speaking on Midlands 103, Ger Dillon said she could not comment on the events of Monday as members of the Laois Palastine Solidarity Campaign were not present.
She said: “It was a really a poignant event. The whole idea was that we were part of a candlelit vigil.
“We had speakers and music there and to represent the 18,000 plus children and babies who have lost their lives in Gaza.
“Teddies and shoes are placed alongside pictures of the children and some of those present included Gazan women who were there with their children and families who have been medi-vacked out of the country for treatment here.
“We were not present on Monday morning so it’s difficult for us to comment on an event we weren’t actually present for.
“Our understanding is that the ladies who were at the gate of Leinster House, the whole idea was they were waiting to hand over a letter when the politicians and members of the Dáil reached the door that morning.
“So the whole idea was not to obstruct but to be present to hand over the letter and they were arrested before they had the opportunity to do that.
“As a group, we at the Laois ITSC will continue to raise our voices until justice is served and we continue to call for the Irish government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill.
“We are asking the Minister for Justice, the Taoiseach and the Gardaí to explain or talk about how this inappropriate and unacceptable treatment of peaceful protesters was allowed to happen.
“I just feel it’s a pity that all of the focus is now on the aftermath of an event that was undertaken by everybody in a very loving and a solidarity type way to honour those mothers who’ve lost their children and particularly on a day like Mother’s Day.
“I feel that it’s so saddening to see a peaceful event become something that we have to talk about in terms of people being shocked, saddened and angered about it.
“I’d like to just thank Brian Stanley who was met with our group to discuss our concerns and has attended a number of our events.
“We would welcome any contact from Willie Aird and Sean Fleming as constituency representatives to work with us to help us to continue to call for that enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill.”
In response to the allegations, Gardai say: “An Garda Siochana is aware of statements made in Dail Eireann under privilege.
“Any person that has a formal complaint to make can do so at any Garda Station or through the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.”
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