Anti-lockdown protests by ‘extremist groups’ have ‘no organiser’, says Garda Commissioner Drew Harris – Independent.ie
Anti-lockdown protests by “extremist groups” have “no organiser”, according to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Eleven people were arrested for public-order offences last night after gardaí said they were “forced to intervene” during a demonstration on Dublin’s Grafton Street.
Speaking this morning, the Commissioner said that while protests are “legitimate activity”, these protests are “set against the restrictions on Covid-19”.
“Protest is a legitimate activity. The difficulty we have with these particular protests is one set against the restrictions on Covid-19 which place a restriction now out outdoor gatherings,” he said.
“Secondly, with these protests, there is no organiser. What we see is a cohort, a range of protests, an intelligence which tells us what their intentions are, their intentions appear to disrupt the port, to disrupt the activity of the government, to disrupt the government departments.”
He said that this cannot be “tolerated” and that these groups have shown a “propensity to violence”.
