A total of 22 individuals were arrested during policing operations in Dublin City Centre on Thursday as part of a broader enforcement effort aimed at maintaining public order, An Garda Síochána said today, Friday, September 20.
Those arrested included 14 adult males and eight adult females, ranging in age from their 20s to 60s.
16 individuals have been charged, primarily with Public Order Offences, along with charges of Assault, Criminal Damage, and Possession of a Knife.
Of those arrested, one male has already been charged and has appeared before the courts.
Three individuals are due to appear before Dublin District Court this morning, Friday, September 20, at the Criminal Courts of Justice, Court No. 1, at 10:30 am.
13 others have been charged and released, with court appearances scheduled over the coming weeks.
The remaining individuals will be dealt with under the Adult Caution scheme.
An Garda Síochána said on Thursday evening that from early that morning, 100 uniformed Gardaí were on duty to facilitate protests, including one that was led from O’Connell St to Leinster House on Kildare Street, and one at Grafton St. The operation was coordinated from a central Garda Control Room and led by a Chief Superintendent.
Gardaí were required to respond to a number of public order incidents during the course of the protests, including one that occurred at Grafton Street at approximately 2:30 pm.
"In order to ensure the safety of all protestors and the general public, Gardaí implemented a graduated policing response taking into account relevant legislation with enforcement as a last resort," the police force said on Thursday.
September 19, 2024: Members of the Gardai and the Public Order Unit keep the peace as anti-racist and anti-immigrant protestors gather at the junction of Grafton Street and Nassau Street. (RollingNews.ie)
The police force added that throughout the day, Gardaí engaged with protestors, and directions were given to those that had gathered at O’Connell Bridge to disperse from the area within the hour.
However, this direction was not adhered to and two Garda Public Order Units were subsequently deployed, An Garda Síochána said.
Gardai initially said on Thursday that 19 people were arrested, but updated that figure to 22 on Friday.
September 19, 2024: Members of An Garda Síochána place a man in a Garda van on O'Connell Street. (RollingNews.ie)
Judging by public social media posts, Thursday's protest was organized by a group calling itself 'Citizen's of Éire' in late August. Promoting the march, one person wrote on social media: "We need 100,000 citizens [sic] to dissolve the Dáil."
According to RTÉ News, several hundred people gathered for Thursday's anti-immigration protest.
The Irish Times reports that Kildare councillor Tom McDonnell and unsuccessful local election candidates Ben Garrigan and Michelle Keane were among those to address the anti-immigration protesters on Molesworth Street. Hermann Kelly, leader of the Irish Freedom Party (IFP), was also present.
People carried Irish tricolors, “Erin Go Bragh” banners, and flags displaying the slogan “You’ll Never Beat the Irish," the PA reports.
The group broke out in chants of “Irish Lives Matter," “Whose streets? Our streets,” and “Get them out, get them out."
Anti-immigration demonstrators are staging a protest in Central Dublin amid tight security. An anti-racism protest is also taking place in the capital and Garda public order units are on duty in the city centre. #DublinProtests #AntiImmigration #AntiRacism #PublicOrder pic.twitter.com/oDzJ3B4T72
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) September 19, 2024
A counter-protest was staged on Thursday by the group United Against Racism, which said it would not accept far-right groups marching through Dublin City Center "spreading their hate and making migrants and people of colour feel unsafe on our streets."
September 19, 2024: Scenes from the counter-protest in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
Announcing its counter-protest last week, the group added: "In Dundalk and Belfast, we have seen the far right sent packing thanks to the mass mobilisation of local communities who have made it clear that they are not welcome.
"It’s time we did the same in Dublin."
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