Taoiseach jeered by protestors in Cork
The Taoiseach has been met by a large crowd of protestors this afternoon in Cork as he arrived to a job announcement in the city.
Enda Kenny arrived at the commercial centre in Blackpool, on the edge of the city, to formally announce 120 new jobs at a technology firm.
A strong garda presence kept a few hundred protestors behind barriers in the heavy rain as the Taoiseach arrived, to a loud chorus of booing and jeers from the assembled crowd.
The protest was organised by the We Won't Pay campaign. Earlier, Councillor Mick Barry, a spokesperson for the campaign, said that concessions made by the Government had not gone far enough, and he continued to call for the abolishment of the charge.
Protestors in Blackpool say they'll turn their backs on @EndaKennyTD when he exits & are calling for his resignation pic.twitter.com/lQpZjcPMl1
— Neil Prendeville (@NeilRedFM) November 21, 2014
At the event, the Taoiseach said he's glad one of his backbenchers withdrew remarks comparing water charge protestors to ISIS militants, and commented that everyone had the right to protest peacefully.
Noel Coonan received a death threat to his office in the wake of his comments in the Dáil yesterday, and withdrew the remarks in an interview with Newstalk Radio this morning.
"In a democracy like Ireland, democracy applies to everybody, and it's perfectly in order for people to express their concerns and their anxieties in a peaceful manner," the Taoiseach said.
"Yes, there have been incidents in the course of the last number of weeks where this might have been a bit rough, but in so far as the language is concerned, I'm glad that Noel Coonan withdrew his remarks."
