Council replaces posters taken down in error

ANTI-LITTER CONFUSION:DUBLIN CITY Council has put back up dozens of anti-Lisbon treaty posters which its staff had taken down under the mistaken belief they were infringing litter laws.

The sight of council staff erecting posters on behalf of anti-Lisbon group Cóir caused consternation in some parts of Dublin yesterday. One reader contacted The Irish Times to say he had sought an explanation from the council but had not received one.

Another reader said he had seen two council staff operating from a flatbed truck putting up Cóir posters throughout Dublin 8. The misunderstanding was solved by the council’s press office, which admitted staff had removed posters by mistake after misinterpreting the rules about postering before referendums.

Political parties are allowed to put up posters before elections within 30 days of the polling date.

However, an exemption is allowed in the case of referendums, when postering is allowed from the day the Minister for Environment signs the order for the poll. In the current case, this means that posters were permitted since July 13th, when John Gormley signed the order for the referendum.

Cóir said 42 of its posters had been taken down in Dublin, even though it had checked with the department and the council before they were put up. A spokesman claimed posters had also been removed in counties Sligo, Mayo and Cork.

He welcomed the fact that the council had admitted its mistake and put the posters back up again, but said that some appeared to have been re-erected in the wrong spots.

A statement issued by Cori (Conference of Religious of Ireland) said yesterday: “In order to clarify some confusion, which has arisen, Cori (Conference of Religious of Ireland) wishes to state that it has absolutely no association or connection whatsoever with the organisation Cóir who are campaigning on the Lisbon Treaty.”