Yeah, I’m seeing a loose cannon who doesn’t like protestors. I don’t know much about Irish laws, but if I were that protestor I’d be calling lawyers to see what laws may have been broken.
Here’s a different perspective: Should Canadian ambassador Vickers have grabbed Irish protester?
Have a look at the guy’s shirt two seconds into the vid during the private commemoration.
Have a look at the US government’s sanctions list.
Have a look at my previous post referring to the ongoing terrorist attacks by the Real IRA.
What am I missing?
Irish Republican Prisoner’s Welfare Association.
Vickers was a dickhead for what he did, he should have let the appropriate authorities do their job. I can’t but imagine what the headlines would have been like if an Irish ambassador to Canada had weighed in in the same manner.
Muffin, the Good Friday Agreement was in 1998.
The idea that any but the most fringe elements would attempt to launch a terrorist attack in Dublin during 1916 commemorations, even at an event such as this that stuck in many a craw, shows a profound misinterpretation of the situation on the ground in the Republic of Ireland.
I agree that Vickers’ actions aren’t totally kosher and seemed to be done in a rage.
One thing to keep in mind is that Vickers’ previous job was to head a security organisation tasked with protecting politicians. His old job was being that authority that grabbed a dude who was harassing dignitaries and politicians. Maybe he could have done it without the raegface but that’s a nitpick.
It’s worth noting that Vickers’ reaction was to remove the protester from the vicinity of the crowd. The protester wasn’t hurt (at least by Vickers); he was neutralized as a threat to the others without beating him up, shooting him or otherwise harming him. Seems like a proportionate response.
He was wrong, as it turned out.
Yeah, over here not everyone is as overawed by his sheer awesomeness.
He took it upon himself to decide what needed doing, rather than letting our country’s authorities make that decision. He manhandled a peaceful protester. We don’t (mostly) do things that way around here, and when we do, it’s not considered badassery, it’s considered assholery.
As An Gadaí said, how impressed would everyone be if the Irish ambassador to Canada or the US had decided to take over a situation like that, rather than letting the country’s own authorities decide on the appropriate action?
He still rocks for how he dealt with the attack on Canada’s parliament, but this isn’t the same thing.
We’d be furious. Vickers, however, seems to be protected by a halo effect causing people to not say “hey, attacking a protestor is not really something our ambassador should be doing.”