HC Deb 23 May 1905 vol 146 cc1129-30
MR. ROCHE (Galway, E.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will now give the House the report which he has received from the county inspector in reference to the action of police at Cappatagle on 7th inst. in regard to the Member for the Division.

MR. WALTER LONG

I can only read this Answer, which has already been circulated, by the permission of the House. I have received the following report from the county inspector of Constabulary, to whom this Question was referred:— "No violence was used by the police. Mr. Roche persisted in maintaining that he had a right to address his constituents and he was moved away from the crowd by my orders. I had first informed him that the meeting was proclaimed and that I had a copy of a proclamation which I would give him. I gave it to him when he had been moved about twenty-five yards away. He was not dragged, nor was he moved off his feet. One policeman held him by each arm. District-Inspector Heard did not order his men to drag Mr. Roche down. I was the very first person to go to Mr. Roche and tell him he could not address the meeting, and when he began to argue that he had arranged two months before to address his constituents I took hold of his coat and pulled him off the stile, about eighteen inches from the ground, on which he was standing. Mr. Heard, I think, also caught his coat and said he must come down. No roughness was used, when pulled he stepped off. I then told him he must move on and told the crowd to disperse. He was moved on as I have already mentioned. He was not moved fifty yards, not quite thirty yards. I heard him say, 'Is the county inspector here'? I did not tell the police to let him go. When they had moved him from the crowd they loosed their hold of his arms. There were no reporters present or regular representatives of the Press. Mr. Roche says he held on to the platform. There was no platform. There was a proclamation posted on the wall opposite Mr. Roche, not twelve feet from him. Mr. Roche must have been well aware the meeting was proclaimed. He had been staying the night with Father Fahy, and I myself had told Father Fahy of the proclamation. The police did nothing that was not perfectly consistent with their duty in preventing the holding of the meeting, and no violence was used to Mr. Roche nor any rough treatment that could be construed as violence."