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In scenes likely to alarm public health officials and politicians facing calls for the country to swiftly pull out of Level 5 restrictions, large numbers of people have been gathering in Cork city center tonight. in what one garda described as “a carnival atmosphere.”
The footage was shot by charity worker Ali Hamou, and shows large groups of people, many without masks, packing the Grand Parade in Cork city center tonight.
Hamou, who is a volunteer for the charity One Human Community, which holds soup races on weekends, said he took the pictures at 8 p.m.
It shows people, many without masks, circling the Grand Parade and some skateboarding. At one point, a Garda car appears.
Hamou said it was a similar story last weekend in the city.
“We will never get out of this confinement if we keep doing this,” he said.
Hamou said he appreciated that many people on the streets were young, but added that many appeared to be drunk and did not wear masks or practice social distancing.
He said about the street area in Cork City where he was tonight: “[there was] more than a thousand people, easy “.
What was captured in the footage was corroborated by a Garda source familiar with the activity in the city center this weekend, who said there was a “carnival atmosphere” fueled by alcohol to go and that he placed officers in a difficult position due to the large number of people. on the streets.
“Last night [Friday] It was probably one of the busiest nights we’ve had since the beginning of the whole Covid thing, “La Garda said, adding about the scenes on Saturday night,” It seems to have been based on that.
“There seems to be a kind of carnival atmosphere.”
The garda said people were congregating outside pubs that served take out alcohol, and that the recent lighting of Christmas lights had proven to be an added attraction.
It is understood that large groups of people gathered in various places in the center of the city.
The Garda said that there had been no major incidents and that most of the people were very obedient when asked to go ahead, but that monitoring such a situation presented great difficulties for the Gardaí on the ground.
Speaking in response to events in Cork city center on Saturday night, Labor Party Secretary John Maher and Local Labor Area Representative Peter Horgan asked the Garda Commissioner to come to Cork this week and address resource issues for the frontline Gardai.
Cllr Maher and Mr. Horgan said: “Two nights in a row there have now been important meetings, apparently with the intention of causing disorder for the sake of disorder.
“The Gardai are stretched out and need their feet on the ground. I have reports of similar gatherings in the suburbs of the city and yet there is no physical presence due to the new Garda setups.
“The Commissioner has to come to Cork this week and attest to the importance of force here in the city, the Minister of Justice must allocate funds for additional Cork City gardaí located in the suburban stations and on our streets.”
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