Protests double since last year
THE number of protests in Dublin city centre this year is almost double the total figure for last year, a confidential policing report says.
Figures show that up to October 31, there were 540 protests in Dublin, compared to 307 for the whole of 2022. And in an indication of heightened tensions over immigration issues, 213 of this year’s protests were antiimmigration demonstrations, according to the report compiled by the Garda Síochána and seen by the Irish Mail on Sunday.
Protests of this nature have led to incidents of public disorder, the closing of roads and the burning of makeshift refugee tents.
Other issues that caused people to take to the streets included Israel/Palestine (69 protests), human rights (31), Ukraine (18), climate change (16) and workers’ rights (13).
The figures to the end of October also reveal an ongoing pattern of criminality in the Dublin Metropolitan North and South-Central policing areas.
This included 22,302 criminal charges being brought against individuals, 12,183 summonses, 22,238 patrol incidents, and drug seizures worth €14,229,057. Gardaí also seized 147 firearms.
The report, which was provided to city councillors, also reveals ongoing elevated levels of lawlessness on public transport. Operation Saul (which was set up to ‘provide reassurance to the citizens that Dublin is a safe place’) revealed that increased policing of the Luas had resulted in 1,008 charges and 172 summonses.
Figures on Operation Tombola – which ran from September 30 to November 1, to combat disorder over Halloween – showed there had been 35,187 non-criminal incidents, 8,990 crime incidents, 918 public order incidents, 950 incidents of criminal damages, 588 assaults and 561 drug-related incidents. There were 119 incidents involving a firearm or offensive weapon.
Dublin city councillor Mannix Flynn said the figures showed ‘ineptitude at the top was creating a city under siege’.
He said: ‘The Garda top brass are still displaying an utter absence of empathy and the city has been under siege for some time. We hear spinning from ministers about the hard right when criminal elements have been running amok for some time.
‘More money is being spent on Garda investigations of gardaí, whistleblowers etc, than proper public order policing,’ he added.