rabble is down at the Dáil for yet another protest. This time there’s a fierce whack of incense and baby powder. Thousands have turned up for a Life Institute organised rally complete with large mobile screens carrying Youth Defence videos.
Your reporter would like to note that I have never been challenged so often at any demonstration as this evening as to whom I ‘represent’, which paper, and do I know the truth about the story. While being herded around the big screens carrying a Youth Defence video, so organisers could move the two ranks of young people to the front of the demo, an elderly woman followed me insisting that the Savita case was ‘being manipulated’. I replied ‘I can see that’.
People kept insisting that I take photographs of the young people, it was almost a mantra that rose above the hymns being sung by the crowd as they were getting ready for the second coming, or whatever it was the buzz was all about.
There was a lengthy dispute at the gate of the Dáil as one man held a sign declaring ‘RTE IS ANTI- CATHOLIC’. Organisers tried to manhandle him at first but then as they argued another tack was used whereby they pulled children from the crowd to stand in front of the man. It seems this sign was not fitting with the PR agenda of the organisers. While Eamon O’Cuiv looked on the gentleman was hidden from the press but only after we had already snapped the sign. One female organiser was overheard saying to a colleague ‘We have to get rid of him’.
Caroline Simons (formerly of Libertas, google that for some incredible stories) a leading pro-life campaigner, addressed the large crowd around 5pm. Repeating some of the rhetoric we have heard in recent weeks – she insisted that abortion never saves a mother’s life and has only ever one purpose, the death of the baby.
As we write the crowd is joining in a call-and-reply of ‘Abortion. No. Abortion. No’.
Estimates of 3,000-4,000 crowd seem probable although refuted with authority here. More photos here ; and another analysis via Andrew Flood of WSM here
Video of the children being pulled in to block a sign ‘RTE IS ANTI CATHOLIC’
Comments
I drove past there seems like a few hundred at the most hardly 3000.
Foetal Attraction at the Dáil http://t.co/JNcdORf8
Nice to see all those young women of child-bearing age down there – oh wait, now…
woz there a counter demo rabble?
No counter demo, hard to estimate numbers but the crowd went 3/4s way down molesworth st, split by a mobile video screen so passersby might assume it was much smaller
At least they’ll all be dead soon.
@Niamhbizpost they did their best http://t.co/JNcdORf8
Shall I send down some of the lads from last nights riots in belfast to mix it up a bit.
Thanks. Dublin City Radio referred to it as “quite small”.
George hook had to announce live on air that there was a prolife protest going on outside the dail, just so people avoid the traffic queues in the city, yeah right.
why are Anti-choice protesters so obsessed with plastic babies.
that is a rhetorical question.
Plastic babies don’t grow up rosi
Foetal Attraction at the Dáil http://t.co/siwaxFSz
“organisers [moved] the 2 ranks of young people to the front of the demo… insisting that I take photos of [them]”: http://t.co/YpZ5zWjt
The Life Institutes Pro-Life Rally at the Dail last night as told by @wearerabble http://t.co/olk9O7Qa
@neasaconneally @Oireachtas_RX That rally was intense.Never had so much hassle/seen such manipulation http://t.co/j10GoEmf
@colettebrowne @gavinsblog @john_mcguirk @jasonpkennedy … “[moved] 2 ranks of young to front insisting I take photos” http://t.co/7qltX2nt
I missed this piece on the Lifers rally before Christmas. They’re very keen on trying to appear youthful…
http://t.co/1UHXmpw5
@boucherhayes it’s from this http://t.co/4Twhm2vnfT he’s not a group just part of the anti-choice brigade – they try to hide him from cams
We’re watching the abortion debate on Vincent Browne’s show and it reminded us of this Pro-Life madness at the Dáil http://t.co/CLnI0wZgqB
#vinb the abortion debate on Vincent Browne’s show reminded us of this Pro-Life madness at the Dáil http://t.co/z3Y4rrBCWh
I want to have Ronan Mullan’s baby
you know what to do martin…
buy a microphone??
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