The Garda have defended their handling of yesterday's protest by taxi-drivers which erupted briefly into violence after marchers broke through a police barrier blocking access to the Dail via Kildare Street.
The barrier, formed of Garda motorcyclists, was hastily dismantled after women and children were caught in the crush of protesters at the front of the march.
This was done for safety reasons because of a fear that people would be seriously injured, a Garda spokeswoman said last night. She accused the marchers of being hell-bent on disrupting traffic.
The organisers of the protest broke an agreement worked out before the march regarding the route to be followed, the spokeswoman said. It provided for a route from Parnell Square to the Dail via South Frederick Street and Molesworth Street.
This is the designated route for all protests through the city centre as it causes less traffic disruption than other routes.
After the organisers sought to march to the Dail up Kildare Street, it was agreed that a delegation of women and children carrying a banner would be allowed to follow this route. The rest of the march would pass by the agreed route.
However, when the protesters reached Trinity College, they demanded the right to proceed up Kildare Street. The march came to a standstill as marchers argued with gardai.
Eventually, the march continued along Nassau Street, where it met the Garda motorcycle barrier at the junction with South Frederick Street. Tempers flared as gardai refused to let the march pass. While the majority of the marchers held back, some taxi-drivers pushed up against the Garda blockade.
When the pressure became too great, gardai broke up the barrier by driving away their motorcycles. One man who said he was knocked down by a motorcycle was later taken to hospital by ambulance.
The march then surged forward, quickly throwing aside metal barriers erected by the gardai at the corner of Kildare Street. There were further angry scenes outside the Dail until the leaders of the taxi unions emerged from a hotel to calm things down.
After the union representatives went into their meeting with Mr Molloy, the protesters stayed for an hour before marching back to Parnell Square.
Meanwhile, Dublin Corporation has closed the office dealing with applications for taxi and hackney licences, after protests by taxi-drivers.
A spokesman said a "tense" situation developed yesterday after a group of drivers converged on the civic offices. After consultation with the Garda, it was decided to close the public office and to deal with applications by post and telephone.
