Protesters surrounded Deputy Joe McHugh's office last night
A TEENAGE schoolboy has spoken of how he was left terrified by anti-austerity campaigners – because he was doing work experience with Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh.
The Transition Year pupil, who is 16, said he was left shaken as he left the politician’s office last night.
“I put down the shutter of the office and went to get into to my grandfather’s taxi to go home when I was suddenly surrounded by protesters,” the teenager told Donegal Daily.
“One man in particular started shouting at me calling me a fine gael coward that I was afraid of The Donegal Action Against Austerity protest.
“I ignored it got into the car and closed the door but the same man opened the door and started shouting at me again.
“I tried to explain that I was not involved in politics and that I was only getting office work experience but yet the shouting at me continued.
“My grandfather was annoyed these people where shouting at me and he tried to get them to stop and then they started hurling abuse towards him.
“It wasn’t fair on him as all he was doing was collecting me,” said the schoolboy.”
The teenager said he and his grandad were taken aback when someone started to take photographs of them.
“They started to take pictures of me and my grandfather and his taxi and at this point I became agitated and tried to push the camera away. After this myself and my grandfather got into the taxi and locked the doors and phoned the garda,” he said.
“They arrived and spoke to the man and he didn’t say nothing to my grandfather or myself after that and we finally, half an hour after we had intended we got to leave and I got to go home.
“But I was very shook by the incident as I had never been confronted by a group of people like that before. But I wont be put off work experience I enjoy by the DAAA.
“But I am very upset at the treatment my grandfather received and the treatment I got. Because at the end of the day am I in charge of the government? No.
“I will add the gardai gave me the option of pressing charges but I said no because I just wanted them to understand I wasn’t the person to be shouting at. I have to problems with any protest but it wasn’t fair to get the verbal abuse I got leaving my work experience by the DAAA.
“So I would like if you would out this up and inform the people that the DAAA aren’t that nice of people. I didn’t even receive an apology from them.”