Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor loses collection permit appeal

A judge has upheld a decision to deny an Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) councillor a permit for house-to-house and street collections in Dublin after a senior garda said the money could be used to encourage illegal acts.

The AAA is now considering a constitutional challenge to the decision which TD Ruth Coppinger described as an attempt to criminalise the party in the run-up to next year’s general election.

In July, AAA councillor Michael Murphy applied to Divisional Chief Supt Orla McPartlin of the Garda’s Dublin Metropolitan Region for a permit to carry out a collection.

However, she refused his request because she believed money raised could be used to encourage directly or indirectly the commission of unlawful acts.

In an appeal of her decision, Dublin District Court had been told the party wanted to raise funds to campaign in the general election.

The AAA rejected the claims by Chief Supt McPartlin and argued she had refused to grant the permit to the party as a whole and not just to Mr Murphy.

The challenge was brought by the AAA, member John Donnellan and Mr Murphy against the Garda’s decision