Masked protestors stage treaty demo

A group of masked men and women have picketed the offices of the Referendum Commission in protest at the European Fiscal Treaty.

The 10-strong crowd, claiming to be part of the Occupy movement, held its demonstration at the Commission’s Lower Leeson Street hub in Dublin.

The protesters took over the foyer of the building and unfurled a banner at the front door, calling on passers-by to vote No in the referendum tomorrow.

They have claimed that the Commission has misled the public in its representation of the treaty and been biased towards the Yes side.

“The literature is meant to be unbiased, however, firstly presenting it as a ’stability’ treaty is manipulative,” said a spokesman on the group’s Facebook page.

“The leaflet from this ’neutral’ Commission was delivered late so that people wouldn’t have a chance to read, research and understand it.

“The literature is also full of threats on what will happen if we vote No.”

The spokesman also claimed that the Commission cannot be trusted, pointing out that it allowed a second referendum for the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 after it was rejected the previous year.