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LAST UPDATE | 6 Jun 2021
GARDAÍ ARRESTED 19 people, including two juveniles, for public order offences during a largescale policing operation in Dublin last night.
In a statement this morning gardaí said they began to clear streets at 7pm in the Templebar, St Stephen’s Green and South William Street areas.
There were large amounts of uniform and Public Order Unit gardaí involved in the operation that lasted several hours.
The garda statement said that the vast majority of people socialising on the streets did so responsibly but they said there was a small group causing trouble.
“However, An Garda Síochána encountered and engaged with a smaller group which was persistently involved in antisocial behaviour and public disorder.
“Between approximately 7pm and 9pm Gardaí dispersed crowds from Stephen’s Green, Temple Bar and South William Street.
“In total, 19 people were arrested for public order offences in Dublin City Centre, including two juveniles who were released and referred for Juvenile Diversion Programme.
“Six persons received the Adult Caution, one person was released pending a summons for public order offences, while 10 people were charged with public order offences and will appear in court at a later date,” the statement said.
The garda statement added that officers engaged in the operation were attacked at multiple locations.
“Throughout the course of the evening, members of An Garda Síochána came under attack from glass bottles at various locations, a number of criminal damage incidents occurred including a bin being set on fire on South William Street.
“One person, who was not a member of a group partaking in any public disorder incidents, was assaulted and taken to hospital.
“Two members of An Garda Síochána were injured and received treatment while one Garda Patrol Vehicle was damaged,” the statement added.
Gardaí said that the operation was in support of Government announcements on reopening the economy and society with a specific continuing emphasis on outdoor activity.
Assistant Commissioner Ann Marie Cagney who led last night’s operations speaking this morning said that gardaí will not tolerate bad behaviour in the city centre.
“Unfortunately yesterday evening and again the evening before we had a cohort of individuals who just won’t accept that there are respect and laws that must be abided to.
“So they have done taken into their own hands to try and cause trouble for communities and again this is unacceptable behaviour. We have had a number of missiles thrown at gardaí, parts of our community who are left in fear and this will not be tolerated. It is just unacceptable behaviour,” she said.
The Assistant Commissioner said that those involved had travelled into the city to cause trouble.
“It is not coordinated, in the sense that it is coordinated on social media but we are saying it is a group of like minded individual, predominantly male who are coming into the city and causing trouble.
“We will not accept that behaviour and it is not good enough for the good citizens of Dublin to have that kind of behaviour on their doorsteps,” she added.
Cagney defended the use of the Public Order Unit and said that it was necessary to use shields to protect gardaí and the public.
“Again our response through out the policing activities has been a graduated response. When you see last night’s response that is part of a defensive response we put in place to protect our members. We have had three members of An Garda Síochána injured over this weekend and I will not tolerate that.
“My job as Assistant Commissioner is to provide safety for our members and the community and in that regard those shields provide that additional protection for our members,” she added.
Gardaí had been seizing alcohol on the streets last night from people in the area and Cagney added that the sale of such products was a challenge to the officers.
She also responded to calls by Richard Guiney of Dublin Town that the alcohol should be seized earlier in line with policing St Patrick’s Day.
“We work in partnership with the business community and that partnership is very important to us.
“We have had good consultation to that particular approach over last number of weeks. Our approach to this weekend has been very similar to our approach to St Patrick’s Day.
“We must rely on primary legislation that does allow for the sale of alcohol in our cities. The seizure and confiscation of alcohol is something we do consider and have relied on as part of a graduated response.
“The sale of alcohol is a challenge indeed but we have a very robust policing plan in place. We want to support our communities and so they can enjoy this summer,” Cagney added.
The gardaí said they have no plans to request the closure of parks and other areas in the coming days.
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Only seemed like yesterday the values were through the floor. I emigrated during the big crash and bought property/set up shop in another country. Now I’m a happy homeowner & landlord. A fair landlord. This housing stuff in Ireland really saddens me. There will prob be a twin tier society over it. People with financial power will overpay. People without financial power will struggle so badly to live. And live in horrible conditions. Very sad. Emigrating was the hardest decision I ever made. But I’m glad I did. Previous comment is correct. Boom bust is common in some places. Usually places rich in natural resources like oil etc. But it’s not something that that suits the Irish economy. Start building high rises could be the solution here
@Ronan McDermott: well said, not convinced about high rises but you are asking the questions no one wants to answer. Fair play.
@Greedylocks: I hear you about the highrises. Ballymun didn’t work out. But on a small island you can’t always build out. Maybe time to build up. Especially in Dublin. Give people somewhere respectable to live and then you’ll see the real value of these 70s style dumps that landlords are currently renting to people at extortionate rates. The value would be sfa. I’m thinking about quality of life here. As right now it’s not very good for so so many people
@Ronan McDermott: well said.
This is an extraordinary misleading economical model. We are in a cycle of boom and bust. Eventually nobody will risk lending this country money. Vulture funds are gathering to pick the bones.
@Greedylocks: the neoliberal model can only produce boom bust cycles, where the wealthy get wealthier as money is siphoned to the top. So they can ride out the storm, unless they fail to save for the inevitable crash, and those at the bottom pay the consequences. A model based on permanent growth on a planet with finite resources, what could possibly go wrong????
@Greedylocks: the neoliberal model can only produce boom bust cycles, where the wealthy get wealthier as money is siphoned to the top. So they can ride out the storm, unless they fail to save for the inevitable crash, and those at the bottom pay the consequences. A model based on permanent growth on a planet with finite resources, what could possibly go wrong????
A model based on exploiting human vulnerabilities through advertising, and serving the market, always a volatile thing, so that the market will meet all our needs. We see the failure of it all around us and blindly elect the same parties with the same policies to do the same thing again and again as if this one time it might work…….
This has been years in the making by our FG whose primary mission has been to recapitalise the banks. The homeless crisis and the unaffordability of houses is barely a thorn in the side for them.
@Quiet Goer: Surely you mean FFG .. Media not telling the true story again at local elections as FFG lose more and more ground. The people are slowly awakening….
@Willy: sf lost the most ground
We are bubbling our way to another bust.
Note that property investment trusts are selling out now to cash in at the top of the market.
These guys know when to cash in their chips.
@William Kelly: you are correct I’m afraid we will be heading for another slump , housing prices cannot keep going up and up.
It’s only in Dublin though, most of the rest of the country are still below 2013 levels
a housing bubble inflated by the European central bank policy to give money to the banks for free. we on the other hand must pay interest on that loan and the banks make money by doing nothing.
who here knows anything about Deusch Bank?
people wanna get smart very quick to what is going on again……2007
Kensington in London, Upper East side in New York, 6th arrondissement in Paris. These Dublin prices are here to stay. It’s nothing to do with ‘neo-liberal’ policies. It’s to do with supply and demand. Why can the hard left never understand this ?
@Virgil: that’s what they said last time…..
@Gus Sheridan: even with a bust, Mt Merrion, Foxrock et al will still be the priciest housing in the country
Anyone know how many in government own second properties?
@thesaltyurchin: 15 landlords sit in the dail at any given day,but I could be wrong,FG k o Connell has 8 property’s .
Our wonderful banks must be approaching solvency so.
have your say