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Canal - Enough - I'm out

Dublin cyclist films moment youths fired rocket at him on towpath

Fireworks incident happened last month on Grand Canal Green Way
by Simon_MacMichael
Mon, Oct 28, 2019 10:26
7

A Dublin cyclist has filmed the moment youths fired a rocket at him as he rode along a towpath in the Irish capital.

The incident happened last month on the Grand Canal Green Way in Clondalkin.

Footage from the rider’s front- and rear-facing cameras shows him passing a group of youths on the towpath.

After he passes them, the video shows a rocket flying past him low and to his left – luckily, missing him.

His ordeal is not over yet, however – further along, he is accosted by another youth, who seems to threaten him with a bat or stick.

Clondalkin Neighbourhood Watch shared the video on Facebook and asked for the towpath to be made safer for people on bike and foot.

John Curran, the local TD (member of the Irish parliament, the Dail) spoke to the council about the footage.

"They have assured me that they continue to liaise with the gardai on this matter and that they will monitor their lighting and CCTV in the area.

"What is going on here is intimidation and a deterrent for people to enjoy the Green Way in the way it should be enjoyed."

Dublin
Grand Canal Green Way
fireworks
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

Avatar
dassie | 5 years ago
1 like

The second attempted 'bat scare' incident, may well amount to common assault 'apprehend/fear that force is about to be used'.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Definitely antisocial behaviour, and I hope the Garda actually do something (increase patrols?), but I'm not sure from that footage that any of those kids were actually intending the cyclist harm.  YMMV, but it looks to me as if they were p!$$ing about with fireworks and dropped/knocked it over - if they were intending to hit the cyclist, given how much time modern kids spend on Fortnite I'm sure they'd be a better aim.  Likewise on kid-with-a-shillelagh: looked more like a "Raaar!"-type attempt to scare rather than actually harm.

Not saying I wouldn't have shifted a gear and got out of there sharpish, mind...

Avatar
Tour Le Tour replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Definitely antisocial behaviour, and I hope the Garda actually do something (increase patrols?), but I'm not sure from that footage that any of those kids were actually intending the cyclist harm.  YMMV, but it looks to me as if they were p!$$ing about with fireworks and dropped/knocked it over - if they were intending to hit the cyclist, given how much time modern kids spend on Fortnite I'm sure they'd be a better aim.  Likewise on kid-with-a-shillelagh: looked more like a "Raaar!"-type attempt to scare rather than actually harm.

/quote]

Hmm, I think aiming real fireworks might be a different skill set to using fortnite. Regarding "an attempt to scare rather than actually harm" scaring is harm, and the title of the video suggests that they did actually harm. I agree that it isn't as bad as having hit the guy, but it is a very small step away.

Avatar
brooksby replied to Tour Le Tour | 5 years ago
0 likes

Tour Le Tour wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Definitely antisocial behaviour, and I hope the Garda actually do something (increase patrols?), but I'm not sure from that footage that any of those kids were actually intending the cyclist harm.  YMMV, but it looks to me as if they were p!$$ing about with fireworks and dropped/knocked it over - if they were intending to hit the cyclist, given how much time modern kids spend on Fortnite I'm sure they'd be a better aim.  Likewise on kid-with-a-shillelagh: looked more like a "Raaar!"-type attempt to scare rather than actually harm.

Hmm, I think aiming real fireworks might be a different skill set to using fortnite. Regarding "an attempt to scare rather than actually harm" scaring is harm, and the title of the video suggests that they did actually harm. I agree that it isn't as bad as having hit the guy, but it is a very small step away.

Fair point.  Like I said, YMMV.

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 5 years ago
3 likes

What lovely children. Clearly just boisterous young chaps getting in some jollies. At least they were out and about shooting rockets at people unlike most lazy kids doing it in a Playstation game.

Avatar
Freddy56 | 5 years ago
2 likes

i blame brexit

Avatar
FrankH replied to Freddy56 | 5 years ago
0 likes

Freddy56 wrote:

i blame brexit

Don't you start.

All the ills of the world laid at Brexit's feet. yes

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