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Nine people must appear in court after Gardaí said they were “forced to intervene” during a protest in central Dublin.
n a total of eleven people, nine men and two women, between 20 and 60 years old, were arrested for crimes of public order.
Nine of those arrested have been charged with public order offenses and released on bail to appear before the District Court, Criminal Justice Courts next month.
Two of those arrested have been offered adult warnings.
A garda operation was carried out from early afternoon when anti-blockade protesters gathered at O’Connell Bridge and then moved to East Wall Road and Grafton Street.
Video footage circulating online showed a man wrapped in a tricolor, face down on the ground, handcuffed by officers, next to another man with his head down and his hands folded over his head.
The arrests were made by the public order unit, which brought the scene under control.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí engaged with protesters on several occasions using a gradual police response during which Garda members engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.
“On several occasions, protesters were informed that they were violating public health regulations and asked to disperse.
“At approximately 5:30 pm, when the protesters began to disperse, a small group began to get involved in public disorder incidents on Grafton Street.
“The Gardaí arrested 11 people for public order offenses after several incidents in the area.
“No injuries were reported and the rest of the group dispersed from the area without serious incidents.”
Gardai said the Public Order Unit was deployed in “soft cap mode,” meaning they were not wearing helmets or body protectors. They were tasked with assisting the uniformed officers at the protest.
Gardai has called on the public to comply with all public health guidelines that prohibit mass gatherings and do not allow people to travel more than 5 km from their homes while the country is in a six-week lockdown period. .
The protesters had caused chaos in the city with traffic disruptions at both ends of the port tunnel and a huge queue of trucks on the M50 and M1 and in the city.
Gardaí confirmed that an investigation focused on the organizers of this protest is already underway.
“The advice of the Director of Public Prosecution will be sought with respect to any further action taken,” the spokesperson said.
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