Latest news with #Toland
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Gas Networks Ireland spent €190m building 'capacity, security, and resilience' last year
Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) spent almost €190m last year on building capacity, security, and resilience in the system, including on critical pipelines and physical and cyber security. GNI chairman Kevin Toland said this was to meet the growing energy demand in Ireland, and secure the network from 'ever growing malevolent threats'. GNI's annual report for 2024 said it will spend more than €200m in 2025 to further bolster the security of the network. Mr Toland pointed out that gas plays a 'critical role' in Ireland's energy system. It is involved in the production of over 40% of Ireland's electricity — rising as high as 83% when renewable energy is not available. Writing in the GNI annual report, Mr Toland said they submitted a proposal in April 2024 to the Government to create a strategic gas emergency reserve to protect Ireland in the event of a gas supply reduction. Almost a year later the Government said it was backing the plan and would set up a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal for such a purpose. In the report, Mr Toland said GNI invested €188m in the safety, capacity, security, and resilience of the network in 2024, including at stations in Moffat, Scotland, where both the British gas pipelines to Ireland come from. We also continued to advance our cyber and physical security programmes to protect our network from ever growing malevolent threats. The report said managing the risk of a physical or cyber attack was going to be a major priority moving forward. 'In 2025 we will invest in excess of €200m of capital investment to improve the safety, capacity, security and resilience of the network.' The report also said the €200m will progress the development of the strategic gas emergency reserve, key transmission connections, and facilitate a significant capacity upgrade project at their stations in Scotland. 'The threat of a successful cyber attack remains a key risk, and we remain vigilant to this very real and growing threat,' the report said. 'The UK remains Ireland's principal supply source. 'Any disruption to the UK's energy supply, or failure/disruption to our strategic gas infrastructure could seriously impact Gas Networks Ireland's business/operations.' It said GNI, along with the Irish Naval Service, 'responded to a subsea security incident when a foreign vessel [Russian ship, the Yantar] was detected operating on top of the sub sea pipeline Interconnector 1 in the Irish sea. 'As a result an unplanned sub sea survey to ensure no interference to the pipeline was completed.' It said GNI was a founding partner in 2004 of the European Union's horizon project VIGIMARE, through which key capital projects received €4.75m in grant funding to further develop 'our subsea critical asset protection' from the EU horizon europe research and innovation programme. 'This innovation project uses artificial intelligence algorithms on multiple data sources to identify and alarm if a vessel is acting suspiciously in the vicinity of subsea infrastructure,' it said.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
ICE moves mother taken in chaotic Worcester arrest across state lines
The Brazilian mother arrested last month on Eureka Street in Worcester by federal immigration officials is now in a New Hampshire corrections facility, according to her attorney. Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a 40-year-old mother of three who was apprehended and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 8, was moved from the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to New Hampshire, attorney Paul Toland told MassLive on Thursday. A search for Ferreira-De Oliveira's name on ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) confirms she is currently detained at the Strafford County Corrections facility in Dover, New Hampshire. The transfer took place on Tuesday and ICE did not provide a notice or a reason for the change in location, according to Toland. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. Federal immigration officials claim Ferreira-De Oliveira entered the country illegally in August 2022, which led to ICE taking her into custody. Toland, however, maintains the mother of three was paroled and allowed into the country by ICE as she pursued asylum. Ferreira-De Oliveira's asylum case will be presented before a judge during an individual hearing scheduled for Sept. 23, according to Toland. While Ferreira-De Oliveira was previously detained at the Wyatt Detention Center, Toland claimed she was moved to different cells in the facility and did not receive pain medication for her shoulder, which, he claimed, was injured by ICE agents when they detained her. 'Wyatt Detention is a very depressing detention center,' Toland said. 'With barbed wire everywhere. She's not even getting pain medication in there for her pain.' A previous statement from a senior Department of Homeland Security official disputes Toland's accusations. 'ICE has provided Ferreira with prompt medical care and services, and she has not filed any grievances or complaints regarding delayed medical care,' the senior official wrote May 23. 'ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously. On the morning of May 8, Eureka Street in Worcester erupted into mayhem as ICE agents apprehended and arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira. The 40-year-old woman was arrested in front of two of her children — a 17-year-old girl and 21-year-old Augusta Clara Moura, who was holding her 3-month-old son in her arms at the time. Read more: Worcester father of 4-month-old deported after ICE 'violated his rights,' attorney says More than 30 people approached the agents on the street and shouted at them, demanding they show a warrant for the arrest. After 11 a.m., members of the Worcester Police Department arrived on Eureka Street following 911 calls that were made by ICE agents requesting police assistance and other calls from people at the scene. Body camera footage worn by Worcester Officer Patrick Hanlon, released by the Worcester Police Department on May 16, recorded the ICE agents as they arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira. In the footage, Worcester District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj can be seen walking toward the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. The footage shows her grabbing Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleading with the agents not to take the woman. Two of the ICE agents flung the councilor off Ferreira-De Oliveira. As the agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira. Hanlon grabbed her hands to pull her back and told her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officer. Clara Moura, who can be seen being held back by disqualified School Committee candidate Ashley Spring, reached out to the vehicle and said no multiple times. Hanlon responded by saying ICE would explain. Haxhiaj and Spring yelled that the agents wouldn't explain, with Spring telling Hanlon that ICE didn't 'not have a judicial warrant.' At around 2 minutes and 25 seconds into the footage, an ICE officer said, 'We do not need a judicial warrant for this arrest.' Body camera footage worn by Officer Juan Vallejo showed Ferreira-De Oliveira's teenage daughter running up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. Police later claimed she tried to kick the door, but it is difficult to confirm this due to the shaky footage and the large police presence. Vallejo and other officers surrounded the girl and moved her to the ground on the street. During the arrest, an officer yelled, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' The daughter was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to police. Following her arrest, she was released from custody to be with family friends along with Clara Moura, the baby and another daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira, who is a minor. On May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced the department requested a court to dismiss the case against the daughter. Saucier said in a statement that 'it is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' Ashley Spring was also arrested on Eureka Street after they sprayed water in an officer's face. The Worcester Police Department wrote in a report that officers saw Spring directly pointing and spraying an 'unknown liquid in a bottle at officers'—even though Spring and an officer both say on video that the liquid was water. Spring was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha previously told MassLive that he was not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges. On June 4, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was charged with two crimes for her actions on Eureka Street. The councilor was charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a police officer and a common law violation of interfering with a police officer, records show. The criminal complaint filings accuse Haxhiaj of pushing an officer in the chest and pulling the officer's arm as they were making an arrest. Haxhiaj responded to the charges on BlueSky, calling the prosecution frustrating and defending her actions. 'I am a mother, an immigrant and elected leader who attempted, along with other Worcester residents, to protect a traumatized young person, two mothers and an infant,' Haxhiaj said. 'I did the humane thing to do in this situation, nothing more, nothing less.' On May 16, eight days after the arrest, City Manager Eric D. Batista's administration released body camera footage of officers who were at Eureka Street. The City Manager also announced an executive order on how the Worcester Police Department responds to federal arrests. 'Enforcement of immigration laws is within the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the municipality and as such, municipal resources shall not be used toward that end,' according to a city statement.'The municipality and the WPD are committed to promoting safety in the community regardless of immigration status.' Protests against ICE and the Worcester Police Department have taken place in the wake of the arrest on Eureka Street. On May 13, a protest took place outside of City Hall, which was locked from the inside. Protesters accused the Worcester Police Department of assisting with ICE and demanded that federal immigration officials leave Worcester. Members of the crowd originally planned to speak out against ICE and the Worcester Police Department during the May 13 city council meeting at City Hall but the meeting was changed from an in-person format to a virtual format the day before. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said city officials received 'threats of violence" and that the move to a virtual format was done to ensure people's safety. Nevertheless, people still attended the virtual meeting—lashing out against the council, the Worcester Police Department and Batista's administration. 'There are two explanations for this,' said Marcus Palumbo of Clark University at the meeting. 'Either you, the council, have completely lost control over the police department, or you are actively complicit in their actions.' On June 10, an in-person city council meeting was shut down by anti-ICE protesters. During the meeting's public comment period, the protesters marched into the city council chambers—holding up signs and chanting 'ICE out of Worcester now." Read more: Shadow of ICE arrest hangs over Worcester 'State of the City' speech A person was arrested in connection with the canceled meeting, City Manager Eric Batista announced Wednesday night. 'The municipality has a longstanding policy regarding the use of City Hall, which precludes protests, rallies, and demonstrations from taking place inside the building," Batista said in a statement. 'While this policy has not previously been widely distributed, we are making it publicly available and notifying the public that it will be strictly enforced. Any person found in non-compliance with the policy is subject to ejection and subject to arrest or other violations.' Even though he shares the public's frustrations about 'what is happening at the national level ... we cannot allow that to divide us,' Batista said in his statement. 'Instead, we must find real ways to collectively support one another and those impacted while continuing to focus on the core services that municipal government is responsible for.' None of the items on the city council's meeting agenda for that night were discussed. 'Unfortunately, we were unable to do the people's business tonight — we had over 40 items on the agenda, and there were people in the audience who wished to speak on items that were important to them, but could not,' Mayor Joseph Petty said in a previous statement. 3 Mass. men indicted in connection with Worcester mother, son's shooting deaths 'No Kings' protests: What to know about Saturday's Mass., nationwide demonstrations 1 person arrested during Worcester council meeting halted by anti-ICE protesters Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Alex Lutky dreamt of walking off Franklin. The King Philip senior did so in the Division 1 quarterfinals
With a swift motion, Lutfy caught the pitch with the end of his bat, lifting it the opposite way to left, and the ball was not handled, dropping in to lift the fourth-seeded Warriors to a frenetic 2-1 win. Fairy-tale ending! Alex Lutfy lifts a bases-loaded single over Franklin's left fielder, who barely caught a piece of the ball but didn't manage to haul it in. Unreal. — Graham Dietz (@graham_dietz) KP (20-4) will take on No. 8 Braintree (15-8) in a state semifinal (TBD). 'You can't make that feeling up,' said Lutfy, who was 3 for 4 in the designated hitter spot. 'It's like Christmas morning. I don't know how else to put it. Probably the greatest thing I've ever done.' Advertisement 'We battle Franklin every year and they've had our number for quite a while,' King Philip coach Jeff Plympton Jr. said. 'This year, we got two wins against them [in the regular season] probably [for the first time] since 2016. If we won those two, we needed to win this one.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The game was a duel into the seventh, with Cam Hasenfus and Franklin's Zach Winer matching pitch for pitch. Winer yielded two hits over six innings, fanning seven, allowing an unearned run. Hasenfus scattered seven hits in a complete-game effort, walking one and striking out four. 'Unbelievable. MVP of the Hockomock, and it's not an easy thing to do — pitch like that in front of this environment,' Plympton Jr. said. 'Anytime he takes the mound, this team has tremendous energy, and they want to play for him … It felt like a basketball atmosphere there at the end.' Advertisement The Arlington Catholic baseball team shows off its new banner after advancing to the Division 3 state semifinals. Graham Dietz Division 3 State Arlington Catholic 5, Foxborough 3 — In the bottom of the sixth inning, in a bases-loaded, two-out jam, Arlington Catholic senior Matthew Toland saw his pitch ricochet off the bat of Foxborough's Ben Angelini. His reaction? 'Oh no.' A trip to the semifinals, the first in program history, was on the line. 'You know, this could be a bases-clearing double,' Toland said. 'But [Ryan Tarello]'s the fastest kid I know. He covers ground so well.' By the time Angelini's moonshot to center field reached its apex, Tarello was already perched under it with his mitt open. The ball landed safely into his glove, and 11th-seeded Arlington Catholic (16-6) was on its way to the victory in a game that was suspended Saturday (with AC on top, 3-1) because of rain. Toland put away all but one batter in the seventh, who walked, and recorded the final out himself by tossing a short grounder to first. 'Toland, he's the [Catholic Central] league MVP two years in a row,' Arlington Catholic coach Chris Hall said. 'We have confidence in all our pitchers, but he's been the central core. And it's ironic that when Matt pitches, Ryan goes to center, and he maybe made the catch of the program on that play.' In addition to pitching the final five innings, Toland also had two RBIs — one Saturday, and another in the top of the fourth when play resumed. Coleman O'Neill, Tyler Valente, Pat Clair and Trey Flaherty all collected hits, with Clair's RBI double to left-center in the top of the fifth increasing the lead to 5-1. Advertisement Aidan Stow had an RBI double for Foxborough in the fifth. 'It's obviously easy to pitch coming in with the lead,' Toland said. 'We just knew we had to come in here and get on them early, because we had to keep up the momentum and couldn't let them get anything.'
Belfast Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
New NI-built pharmacy app can save NHS £1.7bn, claim founders
Neil Sharpe and Stephen Toland have launched ConsultTed following a six-figure investment and said it gives community pharmacies the ability to manage minor illnesses like sore throats, coughs and stomach bugs "directly and safely'. The app encourages patients to use pharmacies as a first port of call, therefore easing pressures on GPs and hospitals. It's already used in some pharmacies here, with a full roll-out planned across the island of Ireland by August. The co-founders said the platform could boost the UK economy by £350m a year by cutting workplace absences and providing pharmacies with up to £30,000 in annual added income but without increasing their workload. Mr Toland said: 'Community pharmacies have untapped potential to ease pressure on our healthcare system. 'With ConsultTed, we're giving them the digital tools to deliver safe, same-day treatment for minor illnesses without the need to see a GP.' The pair said that over 30 million GP and hospital appointments in the UK last year 'could have been handled by pharmacies without a prescription'. ConsulTed is in beta testing and launching pilot sites across the Republic in the coming weeks, while it's been showcased in London, Dublin and New York. The co-founders are part of the AMP Growth Incubator at Derry's Ebrington complex, and have secured a place on Invest NI's Founder Labs Programme. Mr Sharpe, who works in a pharmacist in Donaghcloney in Co Down, said: 'Our goal is to make ConsultTed the go-to minor illness platform across the UK and Ireland. 'We're actively seeking partnerships with healthcare providers, policymakers and pharmacy groups to help make pharmacy-first care the new normal.' Mr Toland, a pharmacist in Derry, was named Pharmacist of the Year at the Pharmacy in Focus NI Awards in March.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DHS denies claims of Worcester mother's mistreatment
The Department of Homeland Security is denying claims that a woman arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Worcester has been treated poorly in detainment. ICE agents arrested Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three, on Worcester's Eureka Street on May 8. She is being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Ferreira-De Oliveira's lawyer, Paul Toland, told MassLive on Thursday that ICE agents had injured his client's shoulder during the arrest and she has not been provided pain medication. A statement from a senior DHS member received on Friday, however, disputes Toland's claims. 'The allegations about Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira's treatment in detainment are unequivocally false,' the statement reads. 'ICE has provided Ferreira with prompt medical care and services, and she has not filed any grievances or complaints regarding delayed medical care.' The statement went on to say that it is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment when someone enters ICE custody. 'This includes medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,' the statement reads. In a statement provided to Spectrum News 1, the DHS claimed that Ferreira-De Oliveira entered the country illegally in August 2022, which led to ICE custody. Toland told MassLive, however, that the mother of three was paroled and allowed into the country by ICE as she pursued asylum. 'When someone is paroled into the United States, that means they are allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. temporarily, even if they don't have a visa or formal admission,' Toland said. 'It's not a legal entry in the same way as someone who comes in on a visa or green card, but it still allows a person to be here lawfully for a specific period and purpose.' Ferreira-De Oliveira pursued an asylum claim, he said. Once the claim was submitted to the immigration court, the mother was allowed to stay here indefinitely until the asylum application was approved or denied, he added. 'In order to become an asylee, an immigration judge would have to hear the merits of the case and make a determination to approve to deny the claim after an individual hearing,' Toland said. 'You can only apply for asylum at a port of entry or while inside the country.' Toland said he would not further speak about Ferreira-De Oliveira's asylum claim due to privacy concerns. DHS has also called the mother a 'violent criminal illegal alien,' according to a statement provided to WHDH. 'She was arrested by local police for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a pregnant victim,' according to the statement. Court records obtained by MassLive show that Ferreira-De Oliveira was suspected of using a phone-charging cable to strike a pregnant relative in February. She initially appeared in court on Feb. 3, where she pleaded not guilty and paid $500 cash bail, according to court records. Her last court appearance was a pretrial hearing on March 24. Last Tuesday, Judge Zachary Hillman scheduled Ferreira-De Oliveira's trial date for July 18, according to court filings. On the morning of May 8, Eureka Street erupted into screams, chants and yelling as ICE agents apprehended Ferreira-De Oliveira. More than 30 people gathered on Eureka Street, including District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and disqualified School Committee candidate Ashley Spring. Some of the people confronted the agents, demanding they show a judicial warrant, while other people in the crowd chanted, 'Don't take the mother.' Also at the scene of the arrest were two of Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughters, a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old named Augusta Clara Moura. After 11 a.m., Worcester Police Officers arrived on the scene, telling the crowd over loudspeakers that they were participating in an unlawful assembly. The police also made two arrests on Eureka Street that day: Ferreira-De Oliveira's 17-year-old daughter and Spring. Police present at the scene said that they were called to maintain the peace. Body camera footage and 911 calls related to the Eureka Street arrest were released by the city on May 16 after pressure from the public, including a rally during which residents accused Worcester officials of assisting ICE in arresting Ferreira-De Oliveira. The footage and recording of the 911 calls were posted on the city's YouTube page. The video and audio are taken from body cameras worn by officers Juan Vallejo, Patrick Hanlon and Shauna McGuirk. Officer Hanlon's footage shows District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj walking toward the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. Haxhiaj grabbed Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleaded with the agents not to take her. Two of the ICE agents then proceeded to fling the councilor off Ferreira-De Oliveira. As the agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj then reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira. Hanlon grabs her hands to pull her back and tells her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officer. Clara Moura, who was being held back by Spring, reached out to the vehicle and said, 'No' multiple times. Hanlon responded by saying that ICE would offer an explanation. Haxhiaj and Spring yelled that the agents would not explain, with Spring telling Hanlon that ICE does 'not have a judicial warrant.' At around 2 minutes and 25 seconds into the video, an ICE officer says, 'We do not need a judicial warrant for this arrest.' Body camera footage from Hanlon and Officer Juan Vallejo shows Ferreira-De Oliveira's teenage daughter running up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. Police later claimed she tried to kick the door, but it is difficult to confirm this due to the camera's shakiness and the large police presence. Vallejo and other officers surrounded the girl and moved her to the ground on the street. During the arrest, an officer yells, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' Police officers saw Spring push and shove other officers trying to arrest the daughter, according to a police report. 'Officers also observed Ashley directly point at and spray an unknown liquid in a bottle at officers that were on duty attempting to conduct their job,' the report read. It turns out, however, that the 'unknown' liquid was water. At the 2:30 mark in the video, Vallejo approaches Spring and points his finger at her, listing charges for another officer: 'Disorderly, disturbance and she sprayed me in the face with water.' As he moveed away from her, the audio catches Spring saying, 'It was water.' Spring was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — that being the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department told MassLive on May 17 that he was not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges despite police saying the liquid was water in the video. The daughter, meanwhile, was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Worcester Police Department. After her arrest, she was released from custody and is staying with family friends along with her 21-year-old sister, Clara Moura, Clara Moura's 3-month-old son and her other sister, who is also a minor. In a statement on May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced that the Worcester Police Department is requesting that the court dismiss the case against Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Even though the department wishes to have the case against the daughter dismissed, Saucier noted, 'It is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' What happened on Eureka Street has left some Worcester residents outraged over the city's response. During a rally on May 13, many protesters accused the Worcester Police Department of collaborating with ICE. The protest was held outside of City Hall, which was locked that evening. Protesters had planned to attend the city council meeting that was to be held inside the building, but it was announced the day before that it would be moved to a virtual format. During the meeting, Mayor Joseph Petty explained that the switch from an in-person to virtual-only meeting was made due to city officials receiving 'threats of violence.' Those who did attend the virtual meeting lashed out at the council. 'There are two explanations for this,' Marcus Palumbo of Clark University said at the meeting. 'Either you, the council, have completely lost control over the police department, or you are actively complicit in their actions.' On May 16, City Manager Eric D. Batista issued an executive order to establish 'guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations, including investigations and civil detainments performed by ICE officers,' according to a statement from Batista's office. 'Enforcement of immigration laws is within the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the municipality, and as such, municipal resources shall not be used toward that end,' the city statement continued. 'The municipality and the WPD are committed to promoting safety in the community regardless of immigration status.' On May 21, Batista was faced with disruptions from protesters during his State of the City Address, one carried a sign with a doctored image of Batista wearing an ICE vest, and another played audio from the arrest on repeat. Councilor Haxhiaj has received both praise and scorn for her actions on Eureka Street. Councilor-at-Large and Council Vice Chair Khrystian King said she 'rose to the moment.' 'She acted urgently to defend a fellow mother, a woman in crisis, a young teen girl, and constituents she was elected to serve,' King wrote. 'In doing so, she stood up against a system that has too often trampled due process and constitutional rights — especially under the Trump administration. That's not grandstanding. That's moral leadership.' The New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 504, however, released two statements on May 9 and May 10, respectively, both blasting Haxhiaj for 'physically interfering and physically assaulting' Worcester police officers. 'We stand with our fellow Worcester Police Patrol Officers Union Local 911 and demand an ethics investigation into the egregious actions and behavior of Councilor Haxhiaj,' the letter from Local 504 reads. Three city councilors have made statements since the body camera footage was released. 'The footage released today confirms this: Worcester Police officers did not aid ICE in any detainment,' said District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson. 'Instead, they responded with professionalism, compassion and restraint in a complex and challenging situation.' Councilor-at-Large and Public Safety Committee Chair Kathleen Toomey criticized the protesters who confronted the ICE agents, claiming that they 'crossed a line' and did little to help the mother's two daughters at the scene. 'The videos I saw reinforced for me that had the protesters stayed on the sidewalk and not interfered with federal officers, we would be in a very different space,' Toomey said. 'However, they exacerbated the situation, and instead of focusing their efforts [on] supporting the daughters of the woman apprehended, they crossed the line by obstructing and physically assaulting both ICE and WPD officers, which is unacceptable.' Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, however, wrote an Instagram post on Sunday saying they could not believe the city administration and the Worcester Police Department's recounting of the events on Eureka Street. They also demanded the release of all police incident reports. 'We will not stop holding WPD accountable,' Nguyen wrote. 'We must abolish ICE.' ICE agents injured Worcester mother during raid, won't give her meds, attorney says Shadow of ICE arrest hangs over Worcester 'State of the City' speech Worcester councilor deposits large donation haul after confronting police at ICE raid Read the original article on MassLive.
