TWO people required medical treatment after four men attacked a peaceful protest outside Gallagher's hotel in Letterkenny on Friday last.
The protest was organised by Letterkenny Community Residents' Group in opposition to the closure of the town's Leisure Centre and was aimed to attract the attention of Finance Minister Brian Cowen, who officially opened the hotel.
Members of the Association this week have condemned the "thuggish" attack which resulted in two female protestors being injured. The small group of protestors had been approached on a number of occasions to move, including a request from hotel owner Hughie McGee, however the group refused and asserted their constitutional right to protest on the public footpath.
A short time later the group were then accosted from behind by four young men who grabbed the placards and ran off up the High Road. Two women were knocked to the ground during the incident, which was witnessed by Dr James McDaid, TD and Cllr Victor Fisher.
One woman suffered a broken thumb while the second sustained cuts and brusies and a pain in her shoulder. Both required treatment at Letterkenny General Hospital. A complaint has been made to Gardai.
A spokesman for the Residents' Group said: "This is a very sinister development. These people were attacked in broad daylight on a busy Friday afternoon on the main street in Letterkenny. Astonishingly it happened in the presence of a large group which had assembled to greet Minister Cowan's imminent arrival.
"The Community Residents Groups refuses to be intimidated or brow-beaten. We do not know who was behind this attack but it was clearly aimed at stopping the protest as the thugs targeted the placards," he surmised.
"We will continue to highlight the issues which concern the ordinary residents of Letterkenny. In this instance we were drawing attention to the fact that the town will soon lose it's only publicly-owned swimming pool and leisure facility when the Leisure Centre in the High Road closes. The new much-trumpeted Sports Complex at Sallaghgrane will effectively be privatised, as the day to day running will be handed to a private company," he said.
