Cementgate

Below is a video of the #cementgate incident, where a disgruntled builder blocked the entrance to Leinster House.

Now here are some of the news reports:

Galway Advertiser: According to reports one garda had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit …

Build.ie: A man has been arrested after a bizarre incident that saw a cement truck ram the gates of Leinster House.

Peace fm online: POLICE arrested a man today after a cement truck with the words “Toxic Bank Anglo” written on it crashed into the front gate of Ireland’s parliament building in Dublin.

The Mayo News on the other hand, says:
AN 41-year-old Achill man remains in garda custody in Dublin after he attempted to drive a cement truck through the gates of Leinster House.

The story is headlined “Achill Truck Crashes Into Dáil Gates.”

98fm: A man’s been arrested after a cement truck almost rammed through the front gates of Leinster House…

Not true.

The  gates are clear before the truck arrives. There is no Garda, jumping or otherwise. There was no “crash”. The driver can be heard applying the brakes before he reaches the gate, and comes to a stop in front of the entrance. There was no “ramming”. At least 98fm used the word “almost”.

Perhaps the most excited report comes from the London Evening Standard:

Truck rams into Irish parliament in banks protest

A cement truck rammed the gates of the Irish parliament today in protest at the country’s bank bailouts.

MPs arrived back from their summer holiday to find police and a recovery crew trying to remove the cement mixer, which smashed into the gates of the Dail…

Rammed? Smashed?

The most accurate description comes from UKPA:
The words “Toxic Bank Anglo” were written in red letters along the barrel of the truck, which nudged the guarded gates of the Dail at Leinster House on Kildare Street, Dublin, at 7.15am on Wednesday.

“Nudged” sounds about right.

The tone for much of the coverage began with a Morning Ireland interview with Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd, who “claimed a garda on duty had to jump out of the way as the truck was driven up to the entrance.”

During the interview, O’Dowd says that he was at the other end of Leinster House at the time, but went to see what the commotion was. He spoke to staff and Gardai on duty, and was told a garda had to jump out of the way.

As the video shows, this is not what happened. So will O’Dowd identify the Garda or staff member who provided him with false information?

This isn’t trivial. McNamara faces criminal charges. Prejudicial comment in advance of his trial is clearly not a good idea.