Jail sentences for Joe Higgins and Clare Daly (original) (raw)

Anti-bin tax campaigners Joe Higgins TD and Councillor Clare Daly have been sentenced today to a month in prison for their part in the protests against refuse charges.

The Socialist Party members told the High Court that they are not in a position to comply with an order restraining them from taking part in blockades of bin collection lorries in large parts of Dublin, and were subsequently held in Contempt of Court.

Deputy Higgins said he could not abandon the working class communities that he represents, but that he meant no disrespect to the court, however the judge said it was "regrettable that a member of Dáil Éireann would not uphold the law".

The pair described the one month sentence as "an outrage" and "unbelievable".

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had condemned the anti-bin tax protests after he officially opened a furniture store, in the Fingal County area, this morning.