Protesters bringing gallows with politicians’ faces outside Leinster House ‘reprehensible’, says Tanaiste

Protesters took mock gallows and photographs of high-profile politicians to a demonstration outside Leinster House as the Dail returned following the summer recess.

Two men were arrested during the protest under the public order act and charged to appear in court.

The gallows, which featured an effigy of a man hanging from a noose, was adorned with portraits of politicians including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.

Images of enterprise minister Simon Coveney, education minister Norma Foley and minister for children Roderic O’Gorman also accompanied the display.

Depictions of opposition TDs including Eoin O Broin from Sinn Fein and Solidarity-People Before Profit deputies Paul Murphy and Brid Smith also featured.

Mr Martin said the protest was a “very personalised attack and a targeting of politicians. That’s unacceptable and reprehensible.

“We live in a parliamentary democracy, notwithstanding the flaws in any democracy,” he said.

“Many people have commented to me here at the UN, at various events that I have been at, about how Ireland is politically effective now when harnessing civil society in our debates on a whole range of issues,” he said.

Emphasising public consultation and engagement by politicians, he said it had been seen “from marriage equality; to Repeal of the Eighth Amendment, to the consultative forum on security, and the Commission on Taxation.

“People are actually interested in the processes we use to try and get greater input from civic society.

“So there was, and is, no need for that kind of behaviour.”

Around 200 people gathered outside Leinster House, where the main entrance was fenced off by gardaí, on Wednesday as part of what has become a traditional day of protest for the return of the Dail session.

Far-right protesters shouted various chants against transgender rights, migration and planned hate speech laws.

Politicians and journalists entering the Leinster House premises were called “traitors” by the gathered crowd.

Demonstrators held signs featuring slogans such as “Irish lives matter” and “Ballybrack says no”.

Earlier this year, several gardai responded to the Ballybrack area as groups of anti-migrant protesters damaged a building they did not want to be repurposed for refugees.

Outside Leinster House on Wednesday, the protesters regularly chanted: “You’ll never beat the Irish.”

The nearby National Library of Ireland shut as a result of the protest.