Ireland: O Cuiv defends restraint

Note: Restraint and Seclusion is not just a problem here in the U.S.

By Staff reporter
11/12/2008
http://www.irishnews.com/articles/540/5860/2008/12/11/605143_366198049450O%2CCuiv%2Cdefends%2Crestraint.html

AN IRISH government minister yesterday insisted he was right to restrain a protesting student after a noisy demonstration over education cutbacks turned nasty.

Minister for Community, Rural, and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv stepped in and grabbed a protester after he and his secretary were confronted by a 50-strong crowd.

Mr O Cuiv held one of the students by the arms after his party was pushed against a wall as they entered the

Quadrangle of NUI Galway on Tuesday night.

“There was a bunch of students who wouldn’t let the minister in so the university security brought them up to another door,” a spokeswoman for the Mr O Cuiv said.

“They were going up there when they were stormed by about 50 students.”

The spokeswoman claimed the threatening crowd, who were protesting over budget

education cutbacks, crushed Mr O Cuiv’s secretary against a wall and kicked her.

“The secretary was squashed up against the wall with students kicking her

and one of them waving a big stick at her,” the spokeswoman said.

Mr O Cuiv was at NUI Galway for the official launch of a new e50 million engineering building at the university by education minister Batt O’Keeffe.

One of the protestors, who claimed he did not see the the secretary, said the demonstration only turned sour when Mr O Cuiv stepped in.

The protest was organised by the NUI Galway Students’ Union, and the group Free Education for Everyone.