Clune: Cancelling FG meeting over protest fears 'disgraceful'
Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has described the decision of Cork's Rochestown Park Hotel to cancel a Fine Gael meeting as disgraceful.
Fears about mass anti- water charge protests led the hotel to cancel a Fine Gael meeting due to be attended by Taoiseach Enda Kenny tomorrow night, Mary Smithwick of the Evening Echo reports.
The hotel told the party yesterday that the booking for the meeting would have to be cancelled.
"The Rochestown Park Hotel is giving into mob rule," said Ms Clune. "I am outraged at this decision which flies in the face of democracy.
"I support people's right to protest and make their opinions heard but am appalled that the hotel has bowed to the threats of a small number of people intent on thwarting the democratic process. When you allow mobs to dictate whether a democratically elected party can meet to debate the issues of the day, then it is a sad day for our country.
"I have full confidence in the Gardai to protect staff and customers of the Hotel in the event of any aggression. All attempts to destroy our democracy with intimidation and threats of violence must be defeated."
Mr Kenny is due in Cork tomorrow night for a regional party meeting, and is also due to carry out a number of engagements in the city and East Cork on Friday morning.
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Some 400 protestors turned out at the hotel where he was due to meet local party members, and Mr Kenny later said that it was lucky that no one was injured in the scuffles.
The scenes there and at other recent protests led management at the Rochestown Park Hotel to decide they couldn’t go ahead with the Fine Gael meeting.
A spokesperson for the hotel confirmed that the meeting would not take place at the hotel, and said all other queries should be directed to Fine Gael.
