A LARGE security operation will be in place for the “Right to Work” protest outside Dáil Éireann this evening following minor scuffles at the gates of Leinster House at last week’s protest. Gardaí and Oireachtas security staff are to bolster the security presence inside and outside the Dáil.
However, they would not disclose details when contacted yesterday. A spokesman for the Garda Síochána said they were not in a position to discuss policing plans due to operational reasons.
“An Garda Síochána respect the right of people to protest peacefully and facilitate protest marches on a regular basis,” he said. A spokesman for the Oireachtas said it does not discuss security arrangements. The gates of the Dáil, the scene of last week’s incident, are to remain closed during the protest.
The heightened operations are in anticipation of a much larger crowd participating in the protest after the widely reported skirmishes at the gates when the small number of gardaí drew their batons as a section of the crowd attempted to gain entry.
Organisers of the protest – called “Back to the Dáil” – have said they expect it to be peaceful and that people should not be deterred by a heavy Garda presence.
They said as many as 1,500 people participated last week, though gardaí estimated the turnout at half that.
James O’Toole, a spokesman for Right to Work, said it had organised for 20 “facility stewards” to circulate among the crowd putting out the message that it was a peaceful protest.
Mr O’Toole expected the crowd to number several thousand and to be much larger than last week. Both Mr O’Toole and one of the principal speakers at last week’s protest, People Before Profit councillor Richard Boyd Barrett, said yesterday that the events of last week had been blown out of proportion by the media and politicians from the larger parties.
They also said gardaí overreacted by drawing their batons when the crowd surged forward.
Mr Boyd Barrett said: “It was not in anyway orchestrated by any of the groups. Some people spotted the gate open and said that we would go for it.”
Citing student protests, he said occupations of that kind were a legitimate form of protest as long as there was no violence.
He added that letting people in the gates would “not have been the end of the world”.
“What were the consequences of people getting in?
People would have sat down and made noise. It would not have been a threat,” contended Mr Boyd Barrett. Unlike last week, which involved a march through the city centre, this evening’s event will take place on Kildare Street.
Speakers include Brendan Ogle of the Unite trade union, artist Robert Ballagh and UCD academic Kieran Allen.
“We hope that it will be a big, loud and peaceful protest,” said Mr Boyd Barrett.