Protests in solidarity with Natasha O’Brien after her attacker Cathal Crotty received a suspended sentence are taking place across Ireland this weekend - including in Dungarvan tomorrow.
Ms O’Brien was attacked on O'Connell Street in Limerick on May 29th, 2022 by serving soldier Cathal Crotty – who received a suspended sentence this week.
ROSA member and former TD Ruth Coppinger said the ruling left “many people questioning the value that's put on violence against women in this country”.
Context
“We have to demand something is done about the epidemic of gender-based violence,” she said.
“We need a massive overhaul of the legal system to make it possible for women, for LGBT, plus people, to get justice in this country.
“The only way that that's going to happen is by people coming out onto the street and putting pressure on the political establishment.”
The court heard this week it appeared Mr Crotty had lashed out at Ms O'Brien after she and a friend of hers had "politely" asked him to stop shouting a slur.
Hours after the attack, Mr Crotty messaged friends on Snapchat with the words, "Two to put her down, two to put her out."
Ms O'Brien sustained a broken nose, bruising, nightmares and panic attacks afterwards.
Judge Tom O'Donnell said Mr Crotty's actions were "utterly appalling", but said he had "no doubt" if he imposed an immediate jail sentence on Crotty his Army "career is over".
The Judge imposed a three-year sentence which he suspended in its entirety and ordered Mr Crotty to pay €3,000 compensation to Ms O'Brien.
Speaking afterwards Ms O'Brien criticised the sentence, saying she felt "there was no true regard given for the seriousness of his violent crimes, nor the lifelong trauma I am now forced to suffer".
Protest
A solidarity march will be held in Dungarvan's Walton Park at 12pm tomorrow - having been organised by Monica Murphy and Cllr. Conor McGuinness.
Monica spoke to WLR News earlier, explaining the reasoning for the protest.
"I was extremely angry and then I was extremely sad and I went between kind of giving up on everything and saying we're never going to change things for women in Ireland to thinking we need to do something - we need to mobilise, we need to have marches, we need to have walkouts of workplaces. This is just unacceptable. We need as many men and women there as possible."
"We don't need to wait until a woman is murdered to go out on the streets and protest. This is bad enough, this attack is bad enough. So we need to take these things seriously."
"I'm urging all of the women and men of West Waterford, Cappoquin, Lismore, Tallow, Knockanore, Ardmore, Clashmore, An Rinn, Old Parish, into Dungarvan and beyond out the other side, as many of us as possible to mobilise midday in honour of Natasha O'Brien and what she has gone through. We need this to be taken more seriously. Whatever it takes, whether it's training for judges or simulated attacks or whatever it is, so that people start getting the message that this needs to change."
"I don't want to be 70 and see this continuing to happen. I have two young daughters to consider. Are we happy to sit by as the active generation these days and watch it all slide past again, where we're still looking at these headlines in 20 years time? I'm certainly not."
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