Woman in her 40s was arrested for harassing Dublin Mayor

DUBLIN: Woman arrested for assaulting Dublin Mayor outside the Mansion House on Dawson Street in Dublin city centre. Dublin’s Lord Mayor Hazel Chu was harassed by far-right protesters. The Mayor was harassed by the mob after she refused to shake hands because of COVID-19 guidelines.

Ms. Chu was approached by protesters on Thursday as she was leaving the Mansion Hous with her husband and daughter. When one of them asked for a handshake, Ms. Chu said he could not because of COVID guidelines. The group then criticized the mayor for wearing the mask. They also argued with her over other COVID measures.

They protested with placards reading “our lives matter.” Ms. Chu said there were about 30 people in the group, and none of them was wearing a mask. One of the people shouted: “When you start turning into a shape-shifting dragon, we will catch you on camera,” she said. THe incident made her feel “deeply uncomfortable”. The alliance Le Chéile said that “this was not a one-time event”.

Following the incident, Gardai confirmed the arrest of a woman in her forties. The accused was taken to Pearse Street Garda Station and given a fixed payment notice.

The Mayor alleged that the group had “hijacked” the regular annual event at the Mansion House. Far-right Facebook groups are encouraging people to come to the Mansion House to protest. But Ms. Chu said it was not even clear to them why they were protesting.