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Councillor accuses gardaí of "assault" at Dublin protest

People Before Profit councillor John Lyons claims that the handling of protesters at Government Buildings today amounted to “political policing”.

IMG_20160517_143134 John Lyons Michael Sheils McNamee / TheJournal.ie Michael Sheils McNamee / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

A NORTH DUBLIN councillor has accused the gardaí of “political policing” and “assault” at a protest today at Government Buildings.

Around 200 people from the anti-water charges movement gathered today outside the buildings on Merrion Street at about 1pm.

People Before Profit councillor John Lyons joined the protest himself just after 1pm.

He claims that “within five minutes gardaí decided to push protesters back behind the barriers”.

“Unfortunately they were rather provocative, and ended up assaulting me,” he told TheJournal.ie.

The councillor says that he was left with a graze on his back after being “pushed to the floor against a barrier”.

Lyons said he also saw an elderly lady “manhandled” during the protest.

lyons Cllr John Lyons / Twitter Cllr John Lyons / Twitter / Twitter

Lyons says he has lodged a complaint with the officer in question’s superior officer at Pearse Street Garda Station.

A Garda spokesperson declined to comment on the matter this evening, but did add that no arrests took place at the protest.

Today’s protest was a “welcome back” to the new government according to Lyons.

“We were just welcoming back the most unpopular government of modern times,” he said.

You have several vans of riot officers here – it’s such a waste of resources.
It just amounts to political policing as far as I’m concerned.

Additional reporting Michael Sheils McNamee

Read: Two men arrested over murder of David Byrne at Regency Hotel

Read: “Not prepared to remain silent” – Dublin community procession takes place in protest against crime

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45 Comments
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    Mute Pádraig Ó hAirtnéada
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 1:11 AM

    Unbelievable in a normal society but par for the course in Ireland. Nobody will be held accountable as per usual….

    183
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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:47 AM

    Probably kills 99% of all known wildlife.

    131
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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:11 AM

    So they admit their wrong. Stomach churning stuff altogether. Imagine criticism surpassing fact.

    105
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    Mute Seán O'Sullivan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 4:00 AM

    @Paul Gorry: be they’re ffs

    19
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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 5:53 AM

    So are wet wipes ok to flush now?

    18
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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 8:43 AM

    @Mary Nugent: definitely….im a little confused tho where they actually pouring normal everyday bleach in the river…if so i would imagine it would take thousands of ltrs of it to try clean a river…..it sounds as mad as trump saying we could inject bleach to get rid of civid

    37
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    Mute Asio_Otus
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 9:42 AM

    @Dave Ryan: from the article above, they were using sodium hypochlorite, a heavily regulated industrial chemical, that has strict rules on it in ireland as to its use and release into the environment or waterways.
    It might be baffling, if it wasn’t a local authority. More backwards policies as per usual

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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 9:45 AM

    @Asio_Otus: its unbelievable… obviously its true and its happened for nearly 30 years….it just still seems absolutely crazy and unbelievable it really is something like trump would say but everyone knows ya just can’t do it

    15
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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 10:31 AM

    @Mary Nugent: It’s never OK to flush your wet wipes down the loo. Dispose of them like a grown up and put them in the bin.

    18
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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 5:24 AM

    That’d be Blekingfjord in Old Norse.

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    Mute Niall Lawlor
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    Nov 24th 2022, 2:07 PM

    There were otters and seatrout , place/flounder in that bay in the 60′s 70′s … it is devoid of life now other than winter swimmers. The source of the contamination must be found ..this is a brooklet …not a river ..it is not that hard @Pat Fitzgerald

    6
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