Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins and Fingal County Councillors Ms Clare Daly and Ms Ruth Coppinger were among a number of waste charges protesters restrained by the High Court yesterday from interfering with the council's bin collections.
Barrister Damien Keaney told Mrs Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan they had been identified as having encouraged anti-waste charges protesters to mount pickets which had led to a serious blockade of bin-collection services on Wednesday.
Judge Finlay Geoghegan granted temporary injunctions restraining them from directly or indirectly interfering with, or preventing or obstructing in any way or manner whatsoever, bin men lawfully engaged in the collection of waste in the council's area.
She also restrained them from obstructing or impeding the lawful passage of any of the council's bin lorries.
The judge said the restraints were directed at all of the named defendants and "their servants or agents or any person acting in concert with them and all persons having knowledge of the making of the order". Mr Keaney said that, on Tuesday last, the council had lawfully directed that domestic waste left out for collection bear a pre-paid tag as evidence that waste-collection charges had been paid. There was no obligation on the local authority to collect bins not bearing a pre-paid tag.
He said that prior to Wednesday - the first day of implementation - a number of public meetings organised as part of a protest campaign had been monitored by council officials.
At one meeting, Mr Higgins had encouraged the picketing of shops selling the pre-paid tags, the picketing of bin collections and the blockading of bin lorries. At another, Councillor Clare Daly had encouraged non-payment of waste-collection charges and the setting up of blockades.
Mr Keaney said people attending the meetings had been told that any waste not collected by bin men would be taken by protesters and dumped on council land. Council official Mr Brian Buckley said waste-collection vehicles were blockaded on Wednesday and prevented from collecting waste in Blanchardstown, Porterstown, Hartstown, Portmarnock and Malahide.
He said the prevention of waste collection gave rise to a serious public health risk, because waste not collected on a given day would remain uncollected for a further week. Waste tightly compacted in bin lorries resulted in an accumulation of methane gas within the vehicle. Where lorries were blockaded for several hours, as occurred on Wednesday, there was a real danger of an explosion and serious injury to people near it.
Mr Buckley said some of the named defendants in yesterday's court proceedings were from outside the council's area, and had been identified by gardaí.
Judge Finlay Geoghegan said there was clear evidence that the first three defendants (Higgins, Daly and Coppinger) had been involved in encouraging and orchestrating demonstrations involving blockading of waste-collection vehicles of the council, which was under a statutory obligation to collect waste in its area.
Satisfied the serious risks outlined to the court were such as to support the council's application for the interim injunction, the judge put the matter back until next Wednesday.