Read on Twitter
Appeal by G O’Doherty and J Waters against High Court’s dismissal of their challenge against the laws introduced to deal with Covid 19 pandemic has begun in the Court of Appeal.
G O’Doherty described covid 19 as an “alleged virus” and “alleged pandemic”. Many of those who died had underlying conditions and “their time was up anyway”.
“Most of us know no one who has died and no one who has had it” Ms O’Doherty said.
Ms O’Doherty said there was a cure for Covid 19 - hydroxychloroquine, Vitamin C and zinc. But hospitals were putting people into ICU and “bringing about their deaths.”
She said “if we go along with the virus narrative”, the first case came from Italy and if the government were serious about protecting health of Irish people they would have closed ports and airports.
John Waters is now speaking and says the Government has been making up law on the hoof. He said it is a pity they (he and O’Doherty) had not had their case heard earlier as people were being deeply affected by the stress of these measures.
Mr Waters compared Irish response to WWII emergency to current situation. Mr J Birmingham suggested he might be better advised to concentrate on current situation and “leave the past to past”.
Mr waters said they were lay litigants not lawyers and were talking about people’s lives and children’s lives which had been “stolen from us”.
Mr Waters said onus had been put on them to show disproportionality of state’s case - they say it’s up to state to justify proportionality.
Now raising issue of public being excluded from the courtroom and the yellow (social distancing) signs all around the courtroom - may give impression the issue is already decided he suggests.
Presence of public would “keep the media honest” he says and witnesses could come forward to contradict the media’s false reporting.
Mr Waters said no evidence that govt had assessed cost of lockdowns, no evidence that constitutional rights had been assessed or that rights restricted only as much as strictly necessary.
State is expected to reply in the afternoon.
