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A COUNCILLOR WHO had been cited in claims that a now-closed laneway in Dublin was where gangs had formed during the Dublin riots, told The Journal that his words have been misinterpreted.
Independent North Inner City councillor Christy Burke told The Journal that he had “meant to say the lane is used for anti-social behaviour where people congregate”, a claim that echoes what businesses in the area have said.
Burke apologised for the misunderstanding.
Burke was previously cited as saying that the Harbour Court laneway between Marlborough Street and Lower Abbey Street on the northside of Dublin City had been where “the gangs and the groups formed during the Dublin riots on O’Connell Street in November”.
Green Party councillor for Pembroke Hazel Chu, who opposed the closure of the laneway, had countered this, saying: “The riot started online. Let’s not make any excuses for where the riot started.”
However, North Inner City Fine Gael Councillor Ray McAdam told The Journal that claims about the laneways being used during the Dublin riots were credible.
“From my meetings with businesses who back onto Harbour Court, I was advised that gangs congregated there on the night of 23 November,” he said by email.
Businesses in the area that spoke to The Journal said that they were unable to corroborate these claims one way or the other, but some did say that the laneway was a place where drugs were known to be sold and taken.
The laneway was closed earlier this month over long-running concerns of intravenous drug abuse, drug dealing and other activity taking place in the laneway.
Councillors voted in favour of closing public access to Harbour Court last Monday.
In July of last year, the council’s Central Area Committee was tasked with initiating the procedure to close the laneway and opened the process for submissions.
Many of the subsequent complaints asked for the laneway to be closed in the interest of public safety and cleanliness.
“When night falls, the lane becomes a hub of dangerous activity,” one employee of a local pub wrote.
Sinn Féin councillor for the North inner-city Janice Boylan said that because none of the businesses or residents in the area face onto the laneway, passive surveillance of the area is difficult.
With reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill
That headline hurts my head
@MRhino82: pretty sad alright. Time for AI me thinks
@MRhino82: it’s ASUFUTIMAEHAEHFUTBW.
Anyone that thinks this man is running American, I have some magic beens to sell you.
Blinken was sent to Beijing in order to try and halt the slide in relations between the two countries . To the amazement of me and many others he appeared to pull it off . Then his boss President Biden completely wrecks everything 48 hours later . The question is did Biden do this because he isn’t Compus Mentis or was it deliberate , and part of the power struggle between different Neoliberal factions in Washington ?
@Des Hanrahan: Biden has done something similar to this before (although I can’t remember the specifics – it might have been Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia – I can’t remember now) shortly after Blinken met with a foreign government. That time it appeared to be a co-ordinated and deliberate strategy. This time I don’t know. It could be a repeat of the previous strategy, or it could be a random or solo run by Biden without consultation with Blinkin or his administration. We don’t know.
Tip to author sent. Proof read. Twice.
If Biden meets Xi, it is pretty certain they won’t have a joint press conference afterwards.
Biden is too slow witted for that!
Agent Biden is great.
Biden and Pelosi seem determined to undo any good relations between China and US. Inept in the extreme as they know as well as anybody else that relations have to be maintained for both countries sakes
@alan: soooooo your plan is to let China take full control of the south China seas at the expense of the other 7 nations and ignore an agreement with Taiwan. China is only a few steps behind Russia. Maybe if China wasn’t threatening anyone, then the US would not have to stand up to the bully..
@Paul Furey: what possible benefits do bidens and Pelosi’s actions and statements have? Don’t they seem at odds with blinken’s trip
@Paul Furey: I really admire the way you are challenging yourself and are willing to see more than just your own spoon fed perspective. Well done Paul, you will become a better, more rounded person.
surely sleepy cannot beat the Don again, tragic figure Biden is.
Great that Hunter Biden’s Laptop scandal is now all delt with.. No federal charge for unlawfully owning an unlicensed firearm and no mention of the 5 million paud to Joe & Hunter from Ukraine ‘business interests’
afp.. commande in chief.. afp.. this man gettin free pass jaysus..
I see the lying treacherous sex fiend orange things lackeys are out in force trying to dish president Joe at any opportunity. Sados
Xi learning he’s not the 500 pound gorilla in the room.
have your say