Town Hall security staff attempt to block New Journal reporters from covering the protest

Published: 28 January, 2013
by TOM FOOT and IGOR MEMIC

A COMMUNITY worker handcuffed herself to railings inside the Town Hall today (Monday) in a protest over the council's failure to clean up abusive pavement graffiti about her.

Elaine Donnellon said she had complained to the council for seven months about the messages and had been left with "no option but to take direct action".

The messages have been written in thick black marker pen on paving stones.

Ms Donnellon and her relatives are named in the messages – some are outside a children's play centre – many times over and they include abusive and racist language. The New Journal understands that attempts to clean up the messages had failed because of the strength of the pen's ink.

Ms Donnellon walked into the Town Hall in Judd Street at lunchtime and shackled herself to the railings by the reception. She demanded to speak to the chief executive about her "valid complaint".

She was eventually granted an interview with three senior officials, after discussions with the council's head of security. No one was hurt. She spent almost an hour chained to the front reception desk before agreeing for the handcuffs to be unlocked.

Ms Donnellon agreed to leave after receiving assurances from top council directors that the problem would be fixed as a matter of urgency.

Afterwards, she said: "I have never done anything like that before but I think I got my message across."

Security staff ordered reporters to stop filming the protest.

WATCH: MS DONNELLON DEMANDS TO SEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE WHILE HANDCUFFED TO RECEPTION DESK