Four men were arrested during an anti-mask and anti-lockdown protest held in Dublin over the weekend.
Hundreds of people gathered at Custom House Quay in the city center to attended the demonstration against Ireland’s COVID-19 regulations on Saturday afternoon.
RTÉ reports there was a large Garda presence at the event.
According to Gardaí representatives, two arrests were for public order offenses, one was for breach of peace, and another for possession of an offensive weapon.
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Three of the arrests were made after a scuffle with police broke out around 2pm when a group of people arrived on the scene and were prevented from reaching the Custom House.
A fourth person was arrested about an hour later as Gardaí were checking people entering Custom House Quay, where speakers were addressing the crowd. A man, who resisted the search, was found carrying a pen knife with multiple blades.
A protest against COVID regulations was held in Dublin on Saturday. Credit: RollingNews.ie
Gardaí were also forced to break up some fighting that occurred before the event began, The Irish Times reports. One man was badly injured and taken away for medical treatment.
The protest was organized by Health Freedom Ireland with support from Yellow Vest Ireland. Although the rally attracted support from far-right figures, Health Freedom Ireland claims it is a “non-political organization.”
A small counter-protest was held at the same time on Butt Bridge.
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Speakers at the anti-regulations event included Professor Dolores Cahill, Chairwoman of the Irish Freedom Party, and former General Election candidate Ben Gilroy, the Irish Independent reports.
The Irish Freedom Party said in a statement: "The sense of anger in the air is palpable. Government imposed restrictions have resulted in massive job losses, a mental health crisis, a debt crisis, a backlog in non-COVID health related problems. Our inalienable rights have been trampled on."
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