Three charged over anti-lockdown protest in Cork
Gardaí policing a Cork city centre lockdown protest event on Saturday, March 6. File Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Three men were arrested at a small anti-lockdown protest in Cork city yesterday.
They were arrested during what was billed as a “peaceful assembly” on St Patrick’s Bridge at around 4pm which had been organised and promoted on social media calling for an “end to the lockdown”.
All three were taken to the Bridewell Garda Station where they were charged in relation to breaches of Covid regulations.
The three men were brought to Bridewell Garda station where they were later charged. All three are due to appear before Cork City District Court on April 14 2021 at 10.30am.
The arrests come ahead of another planned anti-lockdown rally in the city this Saturday.
A large policing operation will be in place for the event.
It is being promoted by the same people behind the so-called “rally for truth” in the city centre on March 6, which was attended by an estimated 700 people calling for an end to the lockdown.
Gardaí had mounted “an extensive and comprehensive policing plan” on the day involving over 200 members of the force, including the Garda Mounted Unit, the Garda Dog Unit and the Garda National Public Order Unit, was put in place.
But none of the three units were deployed when the event passed off without incident.
However, two men were arrested in the city during the afternoon - a street performer for a breach of Section 31(a)(9) of the Health Act 1947 and the other for public order offences.
Under Operation Fanacht, the ongoing national operation to enforce the 5km travel restriction, additional high visibility checkpoints were established on the M7, M8, N25 and other approach routes to Cork city that day.
Four people - three men and one woman - who gardaí said were linked to the event in Cork city were arrested as part of this policing operation.
The arrests were made in Kildare, Kerry and in Cork County in respect of persons for failing to comply with Garda directions under section 31(a)(7) Health Act 1947, as amended.
Gardaí had warned members of the public in advance not to attend the city centre protest.
They have issued the same warning ahead of this Saturday’s planned event.
Former county councillor, Diarmaid Ó Cadhla, who promoted the rally for truth and who is promoting this Saturday's event too said it has two aims.
“Firstly, people are demanding an end to the lockdown - it is having no impact on the virus and is causing more harm than good, both to our health and to the economy," he said.
“Secondly, people want a public health service that treats all illness, not one focused on Covid-19 and neglecting other killer diseases.”
He accused NPHET of giving “half-truths” and the government of “scare-mongering”.
He said: “People are being frightened as if there was a killer plague sweeping across Ireland - which there isn’t: the vast majority of people infected with Covid recover without even knowing they had it.”
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