“Disturbing” attacks perpetrated against politicians have become increasingly acceptable, Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon has said. 

Gardaí are currently investigating allegations that two TDs had bags of excrement thrown at them during a public meeting in their Galway East constituency. 

An Bord Pleanála has given permission for a 25-acre industrial biogas facility in Gort and locals have raised concerns about the plan. 

At a meeting to oppose the development, the mic was passed around to allow comments from the floor. 

“A gentleman stood up, went into a rant about how Minister Anne Rabbitte and I were personally responsible for the decision that has been made by An Bord Pleanála and essentially that we could have and should have dictated to An Bord Pleanála that this was the incorrect decision,” Mr Cannon told The Hard Shoulder. 

“That went on for about five minutes or so. 

“Then he reached into his pocket and he had to reach a considerable distance to get to me - because he was standing at the back of the room, I was sitting at the front. 

“Withdrew from his pocket a plastic bag of what I now know was cow dung, threw it at me; then walked to the other end of the room to find Minister Anne Rabbitte [and] threw another bag at her and then left the meeting. 

“About 10 minutes later, he returned to the meeting again and stood by Minister Anne Rabbitte within two metres and stood beside her for the remainder of the meeting - which, as you might expect, she found very intimidating.” 

Mr Cannon said the meeting was otherwise “positive” and that nobody had been injured. 

However, he is concerned that the tone of public debate has coursened in recent years.  

“In the greater scheme of things, this isn’t a hugely challenging matter for me personally,” he continued.  

“I’m in the game of politics for 20 years, you get people engaging in robust debate, you robustly debate back. 

“But I do think we’re moving to a place that I find disturbing; where behaviour of this nature is becoming more commonplace and it’s becoming more acceptable. 

“That’s a place that I don’t want us to go as a country. I really don’t.”

Main image: Ciaran Cannon. Picture by: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland