A number of people, including eight women from the Mothers Against Genocide group protesting against the Israeli war in Gaza, were arrested after an entrance to Leinster House in Dublin was blocked on Monday morning.
Protesters from the group were forcibly removed from the gates of Leinster House, having staged an overnight encampment.
The group had held a vigil on Sunday evening to mark Mother’s Day, in remembrance of children and mothers killed in Gaza
They staged a subsequent overnight encampment “to call for the Irish Government to act on the ever-worsening genocide in the Palestinian Occupied Territories” and were due to deliver a letter on Monday morning demanding action, including enacting the Occupied Territories Bill.
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The group, of some 40 women, placed pictures of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces across the gateway, which is the main entrance for Dáil Éireann.
Shortly before 8am, gardaí moved in to remove the pictures and also warned the protesters that they were blocking the entrance to Leinster House. When the protesters attempted to resist the removal of the photographs, the situation escalated, resulting in the arrests.
Videos on social media show several members sitting and blocking the entrance to Leinster House on Kildare Street on Monday morning amid a heavy Garda presence, before gardaí subsequently began to forcibly remove the protesters.
Tense exchanges could be seen as several protesters were taken into custody.
In a statement, the Garda said a number of individuals continued to block the entrance on Monday morning and, following engagement, a direction was given under the Public Order Act.
The individuals were “given a period of time to adhere to this direction. The direction given by gardaí was not complied with and a number of individuals were subsequently arrested for offences contrary to the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and conveyed to Garda stations in Dublin,” the Garda said.
Ten women, with ages ranging from 20s to 50s, and one man (20s) were arrested under Section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994.
“All 11 people have received adult cautions,” the statement read. “An additional three men (20s and 30s) were also arrested for alleged offences under sections, 6, 9 and 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order Act) 1994.”
The three individuals have since been charged, according to gardaí.
Megan Ní Ghabhláin of Mothers against Genocide said there had been a complete escalation by the gardaí against women involved in a peaceful protest at a time when few people were going in and out of the Dáil.
“Unfortunately, this morning, the gardaí decided they were going to remove these precious faces of these children in the most disrespectful manner,” she said.
“So we decided we were going to sit (with the images of the children) in solidarity with these women whose children had been murdered,” said Ms Ní Ghabhláin.
“Unfortunately, the gardaí then decided it was a good time to come down and remove eight of us and arrest us, eight mothers who had obligations today on school runs.”
Ms Ní Ghabhláin said the group intended to hand in a list of demands that they wanted to see implemented and intended to leave after they handed this in at 11am.
She said she thought what happened was a “complete escalation and absolutely unnecessary, but it also gives an indication of where the priorities of the Garda lie”.
Wafa Abushark, a Palestinian woman involved in the protest, said she was shocked by what had happened.
“I never ever thought it would happen here in Ireland because Ireland is a good country for our people in Ireland and we feel safe.
“But today, when the gardaí came and arrested the mothers, it reminded me of the Israelis arresting the Palestinian people.”
The group subsequently continued its protest close to Leinster House. A number of politicians arrived to meet them, including Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Rory Hearne and Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats and Paul Murphy of People Before Profit.
Ms Bacik said she was shocked that anyone from Mothers Against Genocide would be arrested.
“I’ve been supporting their work. They’ve been incredibly powerful advocates on behalf of women and children who’ve been murdered so brutally in Gaza under Israeli bombardment.
“I had been invited to come here at 10 o’clock, like other public representatives, to meet with them and support their vigil. I understood it was a peaceful vigil, so I was horrified to learn that there had been arrests made and that the gardaí had moved in and what was a peaceful protest.”
Mr Gannon also criticised the arrests as unacceptable.
“There was a hugely heavy-handed approach. Eight women were arrested and three other people were arrested.
“We need to find much better structures in place so that people can express the revulsion at the genocide, wherever they see fit. This was unacceptable,” said Mr Gannon.
Mr Murphy said the gardaí had employed an “incredibly heavy-handed approach” against peaceful protesters.
“I think it contrasts quite sharply with a protest organised by far right anti-immigration people outside the Dáil six months ago, blocking people from leaving. And as far as I know, there were no arrests related to that.”
