Doyle says she “feared for life” after attack by anti-immigrant protester

Ongar councillor Tania Doyle said she and her husband “feared for our lives” after being attacked by an anti-immigrant protester.

First reported by Dublin Live, Doyle and her husband were confronted by an anti-immigration protestor on Wednesday, May 8.

Recalling the incident, Doyle said the attacker demanded to hear her views on immigration.

“I responded back to him that I believe in lawful, measured immigration with the background infrastructure to cope. He wasn’t happy enough with that and he just kept going. The language he was coming out with. He accused me of being part of the establishment and it just went on and on.”

Doyle, who sits as an independent on Fingal County Council, said she was being recorded and asked the person to stop.

“My husband, Derek, who was behind me walked in front of me to protect me. I told the man to stop. I didn’t want to be videoed. He said that he would destroy me.”

Describing the man as being in his early 40s, the man “went ballistic” and attacked the pair.

“He threw a punch at my husband. I shielded my husband. Where I got the strength from I don’t know,” she recalled.

“His rage kept coming at us. He was punching and doing everything he could to get to us. I’ve never been in a situation like that. It felt like I was above, looking down. I thought we’re not going to get out of this alive.”

Doyle recalled that the attack went on for 15 minutes, and feared that her husband was going to be killed.

“My husband went to the ground. At that moment I thought, ‘he’s going to kick him in the head, he’s going to kill him’.”

She said the family has been “traumatised” by the incident.

Speaking to The Journal, Doyle said “I think I’m a strong, independent woman. I’ve worked very, very hard to get where I am. But when it affects your family, like my husband’s glasses were smashed into his face. He’s black and blue from head to toe. He’s a big gash, he’d blood all over his face. You say to yourself, is it worth it?”

A number of election posters have been torn down across Dublin, with Dublin City Council member John Lyons and Social Democrats candidate Ellen O’Doherty saying they have had their posters torn down and have been threatened by anti-immigration protesters.

O’Doherty said two campaign workers were threatened at knifepoint last week, being called “nazis.”