Fifth person arrested in relation to demonstration outside home of Taoiseach

Woman questioned on suspicion of harassment under Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act

The woman arrested on Tuesday is being questioned on suspicion of harassment under Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

A fifth person has been arrested in relation to a demonstration outside the home of Taoiseach Simon Harris last May – and more arrests are likely.

The woman, aged in her 60s, arrested on Tuesday is being questioned on suspicion of harassment under Section 10 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

It relates to events outside the Taoiseach’s home in Co Wicklow on May 2.

The investigation team is thought to be gathering as much evidence as they can from each arrest as they continue their inquiries and build up their file.

“This is part of an ongoing investigation and further arrests are likely,” a security source said.

Detectives in Wicklow are leading the investigation into the protest by far-right agitators outside the Taoiseach’s home in Greystones, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Well known to gardaí

Some of those involved are well known to gardaí and have been involved in similar protests, including at Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, in May, and outside the home of Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman in April.

Wicklow gardaí are being supported, as necessary, by the Special Detective Unit, the anti-terrorism section of An Garda Síochána.

In a statement, Garda HQ said: “This afternoon, Tuesday, August 20, gardaí arrested a further individual for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act, as part of ongoing investigations into the alleged harassment of an elected representative on 2nd May 2024.

“The woman, aged in her 60s, is currently detained at a Garda Station in County Wicklow under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.” 

It follows an arrest on August 15 of a woman, aged in her 50s, in relation to this investigation and for the same suspected offence.

Last June, the investigation team arrested three males as part of the same investigation – bringing the total number of arrests, to date, to five.