ANTI-NAMA PROTESTERS have vowed to continue their campaign after their occupation of a building said to be owned by Nama was ended by gardaí.
Activists from the Unlock NAMA campaign had taken over the building at 66-67 Great Strand Street in central Dublin and used it for public talks and meetings earlier today.
However, garda officers arrived to clear the premises this afternoon. After a brief meeting, the protesters made the decision to leave peacefully.
“They said it was private property and we had no right to be there,” Unlock NAMA spokesperson Moira Murphy told TheJournal.ie. “We were given an hour to clean up. We’re all out of the building now.”
She said more than 50 people had attended the protest, and it was now planned to repeat the operation in other locations.
“It’s been a success even though it wasn’t the outcome we anticipated,” she said. “We’re hoping to expand the project, get more people involved, and show people how to identify Nama buildings in their local areas.”
According to Murphy, gardaí told protesters that the building was not controlled by Nama. She said their information showed that it was.
A garda spokesperson would only confirm that it was a “privately owned building”. Protesters had departed peacefully, there were no arrests and no investigation was under way, he added.
Another member of the group told TheJournal.ie earlier today that the protest was about “lifting the veil of secrecy around NAMA and making the buildings available to the public,” adding: “It’s a no-brainer to give them a social and community use.”
This video by soundmigration shows a tour around the building while the protest was taking place:
NAMA could not be reached for comment.
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