Joseph Baldwin, a farmer based in Gort, Co Galway, has been convicted after throwing a bag of cow dung at TD Anne Rabbitte during a local community meeting in January 2023.
Baldwin, who denied the charges against him, was convicted of assault as well as a breach of the peace by engaging in threatening or abusive behavior on the night of the incident.
Baldwin's sentencing has been adjourned until December 18 to allow the preparation of a probation report.
Speaking after the conviction was handed down in Ennis District Court on Wednesday, October 2, Rabbitte said: “There was a line, the line was crossed, and that was acknowledged today in the courtroom.”
FF TD & Minister Anne Rabbitte says “the line was crossed” in terms of acceptable protest as #Galway farmer Joseph Baldwin is convicted of Assaulting her by throwing bag of Cow Dung at #Gort Biogas meeting - I’ll have full details @drivetimerte @RTERadio1 pic.twitter.com/IKipnW0kzK
— John Cooke (@johncookeradio) October 2, 2024
On January 4, 2023, Rabbitte took to Twitter, now X, to say that a "bag of sh.t" had been thrown at her and a government colleague during a meeting.
The colleague was TD Ciarán Cannon, who afterward told RTÉ News: "One gentleman at the very beginning of the meeting took it upon himself to launch into a tirade essentially accusing Minister Anne Rabbitte and I of being culpable in granting this planning permission and then proceeded to take two bags, of what I now know to be cow dung, out from his pocket, walked over to me, threw one at me and then as he returned to his place in the room, he threw the other at Minister Anne Rabbitte.
"And then he left the meeting and returned shortly thereafter to stand in quite close proximity to Minister Rabbitte for the remainder of the meeting."
Cannon added: "While last night wasn't a particular serious incident, it is part of a cumulative chipping away at our democracy."
After the incident, Irish politicians reportedly received a crime-prevention information sheet from gardaí encouraging them to be "street-wise" and to wear comfortable shoes so they can move quickly if the need arises.
According to the Irish Examiner, Baldwin, who was charged in November 2023, said in court that on the day of the incident, “I went down to the farmyard and put dry cow dung into ziplock bags. There was no smell or odour off the bags and I made sure that they were secure.
“They were very light — like a featherweight. I thought all the TDs and councillors would be at the top table where I could leave the bags in front of them.”
He added: ”On the evening in question, I said to myself, ‘I have had enough’, something had to be done for them to listen and show them that it was unacceptable for the community to be treated like this.
“I went to that meeting with no intention to harm anyone. In my own mind, I thought that it might be a way of getting through to two Government TDs that they were clearly not helping or listening to the people of our own community.
“I am not apologising because I believe that all I was doing was making the views of the community known and I didn’t hurt anybody in the process.
"I am just a normal, decent person thinking about my community and the people who live in it."
RTÉ News reports that CCTV footage, shown to the court on September 13, shows Baldwin flinging a bag of animal excrement at Cannon, which landed at his feet and did not hit him.
Baldwin then Rabbitte: "There's one for you too." However, the bag he flung at her missed hitting her.
Darragh Hassett, solicitor for Baldwin, had made a submission to Judge Gabbett to drop the charge of assault, given the object thrown did not actually hit the deputy. Judge Gabbett refused the request.
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