ANTI-DRUG activists in Dublin have vowed to continue staging marches through the city until the Government and the Garda authorities meet their demands for a new response to the drugs crisis.
About 3,000 people marched through the city centre yesterday, calling for more treatment facilities for drug addicts and greater efforts by the gardai to tackle dealers.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, said that the force was drawing up a new plan to combat drug dealing on the streets.
Yesterday's march was organised by COCAD - the Coalition of Communities Against Drugs. Marchers came from all parts of the inner city as well as from Tallaght, Clondalkin and Ballyfermot. It was the largest anti drug demonstration in the city since the 1980s.
COCAD said that more marches throughout the city were planned for next week.
The organisers of yesterday's protest had intended to march from the GPO in O'Connell Street to Dublin Castle, where European Justice ministers were meeting. However, gardai diverted the march to the Department of Justice on St Stephen's Green. There, about 60 gardai stood behind barriers in front of the building.
For the most part, the two hour protest was peaceful, although at one stage a small group of marchers shouted at the gardai that they were "bastards" and "culchies".
The marchers included a Sinn Fein councillor, Mr Christy Burke, and the Independent TD, Mr Tony Gregory.
Mr Gregory was asked about the comments of the Garda Commissioner, who had expressed concern about the "aggressive" trend of some anti drug marches and described protests outside particular homes as "unacceptable". He replied: "We'll continue to march to the doors of the pushers whether the Commissioner likes it or not."
Asked if he was concerned about the possible development of vigilantism, he said: "I'm concerned about the number of young people that have died of heroin in Dublin over the years that's my principal concern.
At the Department of Justice, Mr Ronnie Byrne, from Dolphin's Barn, one of the march organisers, invited the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, to visit Dolphin's Barn "without the police clearing the way in front of her" so that she could see the extent of drug dealing there.
Mr Cecil Johnson, from Killinarden, said that the true statistics of addiction in Dublin had not yet emerged: "There's not 7,000 addicts, there's 20,000 addicts", he said. Solving the problem "needs the gardai involved, not to harass us, but to harass these drug dealers", he added.
Mr Hugh McGowan, from Clondalkin, said that there was a drug epidemic which had already damaged one generation and was now threatening the next. "We must be the fire break in the middle, we must fight the fire and stop it going across", he said.