13 charged after demonstrators bring mock gallows to Leinster House protest

Thirteen people have been charged by gardai during a day of protests outside the Dail that saw demonstrators block entrances and display a mock gallows.

Photographs of high-profile politicians were attached to the gallows placed outside Leinster House as Dail business returned following the summer recess.

There was a sizeable gardai presence, with metal barricades erected, as politicians, media and Oireachtas staff were barracked arriving and leaving the building.

Some TDs and senators required gardai escorts to leave the Dail through the shouting crowds of protesters.

The gallows, which featured an effigy of a man hanging from a noose, was adorned with portraits of politicians including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald.

Images of enterprise minister Simon Coveney, education minister Norma Foley and minister for children Roderic O’Gorman also accompanied the display.

Depictions of opposition TDs including Eoin O Broin from Sinn Fein and Solidarity-People Before Profit deputies Paul Murphy and Brid Smith also featured.

On Wednesday morning around 200 people gathered outside Leinster House on Kildare Street, where the main entrance was fenced off by gardai, as part of what has become a traditional day of protest for the return of the Dail session.

Far-right protesters shouted various chants against transgender rights, migration and planned hate speech laws.

Politicians and journalists entering the Leinster House premises were called “traitors” by the gathered crowd.

Demonstrators held signs featuring slogans such as “Irish lives matter” and “Ballybrack says no”.

Earlier this year, several gardai responded to the Ballybrack area of Co Dublin as groups of anti-migrant protesters damaged a building they did not want to be repurposed for refugees.

Outside Leinster House on Wednesday, the protesters regularly chanted: “You’ll never beat the Irish.”

The nearby National Library of Ireland shut as a result of the protest.

Later in the day, protesters moved to the other entrance to the Dail on Merrion Street.

While their numbers had reduced to below 100, they attempted to form human chains at the entrance to prevent people leaving.

At one point several politicians’ cars were trapped inside the grounds before gardai moved to clear a path.

A Garda statement said: “Gardai at Pearse Street put in place a policing operation to facilitate the resumption of the 33rd Dail at Government Buildings today, Wednesday September 20 2023.

“On a number of occasions gardai were required to intervene during public order incidents which occurred on Molesworth Street, Kildare Street and Merrion Street.

“Regular uniform gardai were supported by plain clothes units and the public order unit in ‘soft cap’ mode.

“In total 13 arrests were made over the course of today connected with incidents in the vicinity of Government Buildings.

“A senior investigating officer has been appointed, overseeing an investigation team based at Pearse Street, to co-ordinate and investigate all of the circumstances regarding these incidents and any other matters which may be identified as necessary for investigation which occurred around Government Buildings.”

Later, gardai said 13 people had been charged.

“Two men (40s) have already appeared before the courts,” a spokesperson said.

“Two women (40s and 30s) and nine males (ages ranging from 20s-60s) are due to appear before Court No.3 at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin at a later date.”