Gardaí remove protesters from City Hall in posters row

Gardaí removed protesters who were occupying the council chambers in Cork City Hall last night after a row over postering laws.

Eight members of the People’s Convention, who occupied the room at 11am, refused to move to the public gallery ahead of the scheduled council meeting at 5.30pm.

The city’s new chief executive, Ann Doherty, and Lord Mayor Mary Shields met the group twice yesterday ahead of the council meeting.

However, the protesters refused to leave, delaying the start of the meeting by almost two hours.

City officials said they had no option but to class them as trespassers and gardaí were called to escort them off the premises.

The postponed meeting resumed minutes after the protesters left the building.

People’s Convention spokesman DiarmaidÓ Cadhla led the occupation in protest at the council’s removal of 550 posters advertising a public meeting on Irish Water.

City Hall said the posters were illegal under theEnvironment Act because the group had not sought permission to erect them.

A spokesman said some had been erected in dangerous locations — on traffic lights and on roundabouts — and were removed on safety grounds following complaints from the public. However, Mr Ó Cadhla claimed the movement had been “targeted” and that most of the posters were removed “under the cover of darkness” — a claim denied by City Hall.

He insisted the posters were legal under the Litter Pollution Act, which specifically provides for the advertising of public meetings.

“This is a denial of our legal and democratic right to advertise a public meeting. We need a commitment that the right to advertise will be respected,” he said.

Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry said it was “very worrying” that City Hall had taken this stance against the advertising of public meetings.

The ‘Our Rights and Irish Water’ public meeting takes place in the Metropole Hotel, MacCurtain St, at 7.30pm on Thursday.