Ring of steel planned ahead of St Patrick’s Day lockdown protests
THERE is set to be a massive ring of steel around Dublin as anti-lockdown groups plan protests on St Patrick’s Day.
However, informed sources told the Irish Mail on Sunday that people intent on breaching Covid guidelines ‘will be doing well to get into the city’.
‘There is a very, very significant policing operation. It is a comprehensive plan with the capacity to deploy up to 2,500 gardaí.’
Officers are gathering intelligence and monitoring social media as protesters plan on meeting at RTÉ in Donnybrook before marching to the city.
Another event billed as a ‘family and mental health day’ is planned for Herbert Park in Dublin 4, though the city council has refused permission for the gathering. A third group of far-right protesters are planning to meet at the Garden of Remembrance.
Another source said: ‘There is intelligence that far-right groups are going to try come to town, but we’re not looking at thousands.
‘The gardaí are monitoring these groups and they’re watching to see what the gardaí are at too. They are posting online, but they’re quiet, they’re wondering how and where the gardaí are watching them.’
Officers have drawn up a ‘zoned policing plan’ which will ‘saturate’ the protest points with gardaí. There will be a gGarda presence at RTÉ two days before St Patrick’s Day on Wednesday.
‘RTÉ is the more vulnerable, it could be the bigger attraction because it is very open, but they’re just going to put barriers round it.
‘There may be attempts to disrupt services at RTÉ but that will be mitigated about 48 hours in advance. RTÉ, from a security perspective, is very open but that will be tackled with bodies on the ground. There will be a Garda presence 48 hours in advance. Gardaí will be paired off for security reasons.’
Last week’s Cork city protest ended with a handful of arrests, but without incident following a massive policing plan, which included closing the motorway between Dublin and Cork at three separate junctions. The same plan will be in place in Dublin on Wednesday.
‘What the gardaí did was take the Dublin policing model to Cork, so it’ll be the same as how Cork was policed last weekend.’
A protest against lockdown restrictions held in the city two weeks ago turned violent. One man was charged with discharging an ‘eight-cannon firework’ at gardaí.
Facebook, Twitter and Telegram messages are circulating encouraging people to attend the various protests.
The far-right groups involved in the anti-lockdown protests include Yellow Vest Ireland, the Irish National Party, the Irish Freedon
‘There may be attempts to disrupt RTÉ services’
Party and members of the now defunct white nationalist organisation Generation Identity. There are republican groups involved too.
A source said: ‘It’s a real mixed
‘The Dublin protest was a win because of publicity’
bag. But some are militant, they’re well organised and as far as the most militant are concerned, the protest in Dublin two weeks ago was a win because of the publicity it attracted.’
UCD Professor and Irish Freedom Party chair Dolores Cahill is helping to organise Le Céile Day in Herbert Park, despite restrictions on travel and gatherings. She has been rallying people on social media to attend.
‘Checkpoints will stop a lot of these getting into the city, that is the hope, because St Patrick’s Day is cancelled,’ said a source.