Minihan was arrested in November 2010 related to an incident at Cherryorchard Hospital in Bellyfermot, she plead not guilty at a hearing in Dublin Circuit Court in January of 2011 and was subsequently found guilty of the charges of assault and fined €1500, a fine which she has refused to pay.
The confirmation of her arrest this afternoon was from Éirígi themselves, their statement is below.
Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan Imprisoned in Mountjoy Prison
éirígí Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan was today taken to Mountjoy Prison
to serve up to seven days imprisonment for her ‘red paint’ protest against
former Minster for Health, Mary Harney.
In November 2010 Cllr. Minihan poured diluted red paint over Harney's clothing
as the ‘Minster for Death’ took part in a publicity stunt on the grounds of
Cherry Orchard Hospital, which is located in Minihan’s constituency. In
February 2011 Minihan was handed a two month suspended sentence and a €1,500
fine following her conviction on charges of assault and criminal damage,
relating to the Harney protest.
At the time of her sentencing Minihan informed the court that she had no
intention of paying the fine, knowing that non-payment would result in her
imprisonment instead.
Shortly after 2pm today, Minihan was arrested in her Ballyfermot constituency
before being transported to Mountjoy where she can be held for up to seven
days.
Speaking prior to her arrest, Cllr. Minihan remained defiant saying,
‘My protest was a legitimate political action, which should never have been
brought before the courts. I never intended to pay any court-imposed fine or to
apologise for my actions. To have done so would have undermined the legitimacy
of my protest and the wider political struggle against the anti-social policies
Mary Harney so proudly championed.
Harney's ideologically driven policy decisions inflicted unnecessary pain and
suffering on hundreds of thousands of people. There is no doubt that her
policies resulted in many unnecessary deaths, particularly amongst the most
vulnerable in our society. Mary Harney has blood on her hands and should hang
her head in shame.
My protest was taken in defence of vital services at Cherry Orchard Hospital and
the wider public health service. During her term as 'Minister for Death' Harney
chose to run down the public health service, regardless of the resulting human
misery and suffering. I am proud to have taken a stand in defence of the
public health service and will be not be deterred by a couple of day’s in
jail.’
Minihan concluded by calling for the resignation of the current Minister for
Health, James Reilly, ‘Since coming to office the current Minister for Health,
James Reilly, has shown that he is intend on privatising our health service,
just like Mary Harney before him. Recent revelations have shown that he
himself stands to financially benefit from such privatisation, making his
position as Minister for Health totally untenable. He needs to resign from his
position immediately.
The time has come for the current two-tier healthcare system to be abandoned.
The people of this country are entitled to and deserve a first-class public
healthcare system which treats people on the basis of need and not wealth. Any
further cutbacks, or attempts to privatise our health system, must be met with
fierce resistance on our streets and in our communities.'
éirígí Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan was today taken to Mountjoy Prison
to serve up to seven days imprisonment for her ‘red paint’ protest against
former Minster for Health, Mary Harney.
In November 2010 Cllr. Minihan poured diluted red paint over Harney's clothing
as the ‘Minster for Death’ took part in a publicity stunt on the grounds of
Cherry Orchard Hospital, which is located in Minihan’s constituency. In
February 2011 Minihan was handed a two month suspended sentence and a €1,500
fine following her conviction on charges of assault and criminal damage,
relating to the Harney protest.
At the time of her sentencing Minihan informed the court that she had no
intention of paying the fine, knowing that non-payment would result in her
imprisonment instead.
Shortly after 2pm today, Minihan was arrested in her Ballyfermot constituency
before being transported to Mountjoy where she can be held for up to seven
days.
Speaking prior to her arrest, Cllr. Minihan remained defiant saying,
‘My protest was a legitimate political action, which should never have been
brought before the courts. I never intended to pay any court-imposed fine or to
apologise for my actions. To have done so would have undermined the legitimacy
of my protest and the wider political struggle against the anti-social policies
Mary Harney so proudly championed.
Harney's ideologically driven policy decisions inflicted unnecessary pain and
suffering on hundreds of thousands of people. There is no doubt that her
policies resulted in many unnecessary deaths, particularly amongst the most
vulnerable in our society. Mary Harney has blood on her hands and should hang
her head in shame.
My protest was taken in defence of vital services at Cherry Orchard Hospital and
the wider public health service. During her term as 'Minister for Death' Harney
chose to run down the public health service, regardless of the resulting human
misery and suffering. I am proud to have taken a stand in defence of the
public health service and will be not be deterred by a couple of day’s in
jail.’
Minihan concluded by calling for the resignation of the current Minister for
Health, James Reilly, ‘Since coming to office the current Minister for Health,
James Reilly, has shown that he is intend on privatising our health service,
just like Mary Harney before him. Recent revelations have shown that he
himself stands to financially benefit from such privatisation, making his
position as Minister for Health totally untenable. He needs to resign from his
position immediately.
The time has come for the current two-tier healthcare system to be abandoned.
The people of this country are entitled to and deserve a first-class public
healthcare system which treats people on the basis of need and not wealth. Any
further cutbacks, or attempts to privatise our health system, must be met with
fierce resistance on our streets and in our communities.'
- Mary Harney attacked with paint (Politics.ie, 1st November 2010)
- Eirigí's Minihan pleads "not guilty" to assault on Harney, trial set for Feb 25th (Politics.ie, 10th January 2011)
- Councillor guilty of Harney assault (Politics.ie, 25th February 2011)
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