Dublin Grassroots Network spokesperson Laurence Cox
said on Wednesday: "The police have already made major
mistakes with their intimidatory approach to policing
the Mayday weekend of events for an alternative
Europe, and have been widely criticised for doing so
[1]. Last night's arrests were unnecessary and will
only serve to heighten tensions."

Spokesperson Liz Curry added: "Instead of allowing
people to quietly occupy a criminally derelict
building for use as an accommodation centre, the
gardai have now created a situation where over a
hundred protestors will be arriving in Dublin from
abroad with nowhere to go [2]. These people have been
forced out onto the streets of Dublin at night for a
period of five days." [3]

The building in question has been derelict for years
and is listed as such in Thom's Directory. Curry
commented: "With rising homelessness and lengthening
housing lists, the owners of derelict buildings are
the real criminals that the gardai should be
attending. Perfectly good buildings are allowed to
fall into disrepair so that they can be demolished,
and a small minority of big owners engage in property
speculation while people are forced into paying
extortionate amounts for housing."

The gardai also confiscated protective clothing from
the accommodation centre. Spokesperson Aileen
O'Carroll noted, "In the face of police and media
hysteria, people have the right to protect their
bodies in whatever way they feel necessary, in a
context where live rounds, rubber bullets, water
cannons and tear gas are being deployed to suppress
dissent. After the televised attacks on protestors at
May Day two years ago, is it any wonder that
protestors feel the need for protective clothing?"

Dublin Grassroots Network called on the state and
Gardai to cease the harassment of visiting activists
[4]. O'Carroll said, "They have every right to come to
Dublin and engage in meaningful protest against the
policies of Fortress Europe. They require a space to
sleep. Any future space provided for protesters must
be left alone, for practical reasons. Nobody wants to
see visitors wandering the streets at night. The
gardai must not repeat a similar mistake."

The spokespeople noted that the gardai have a
constitutional obligation to facilitate peaceful
protest. "Unfortunately the indications are that those
responsible for the gardai have instructed them to do
everything possible to prevent people exercising their
right to protest", said Cox. "Once again we are
calling for a low-key policing strategy and a lowering
of tensions."