Irish Examiner view: Minority can’t ruin the party for everyone

Outdoor summer gets off to a rocky start

Gardai with riot shields move in to disperse crowds on Anne Street South in Dublin City following disturbances on Saturday night. Picture: Damien Storan

The abiding image of the start of our long-awaited outdoor summer will be one of the gardaí in riot gear clearing the streets of Dublin city centre over the bank holiday weekend. To say that it was not the opening we had hoped for is the understatement of the pandemic.

Instead of the spirit of celebration that might have greeted the return of outdoor dining today, we are left discussing public-order arrests, criminal damage and the disquieting news that gardaí believe a group of around 200 young people were behind the antisocial behaviour on the streets of the capital.