No arrests made at Congress, but GAA volunteer hurt in protest

A general view of a protest march outside Croke Park in Dublin as the 2026 GAA Annual Congress was in progress. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

No arrests were made arising from Saturday’s “No to Allianz” protest at Croke Park, gardaí have confirmed.

A Garda statement to the Irish Examiner on Sunday read: “Gardaí attended at the scene of a public gathering at a sports facility on Jones Road, Dublin from approximately 10am on Saturday 28th February 2026. The group involved remained at the location for a number of hours before dispersing. No arrests were made.” 

The GAA could yet press charges against those who caused injury to a member of the stadium’s security staff. A volunteer is also believed to have been physically hurt as a result of some protesters forcing their way through the main entrance of the Hogan Stand.

A number of those involved in the rally made their way up the elevators in the stand to level five before some of them entered the Hogan Stand suite where they unfurled banners and chanted “No to Allianz” and “Allianz amach”, accusing delegates of being complicit in genocide.

In December, the GAA endorsed the recommendation of their ethics and integrity commission not to sever its commercial relationship with Allianz plc.

A UN-commissioned report found that a subsidiary of Allianz was complicit in the genocide in Gaza by purchasing Israeli government bonds, though the commission found Allianz plc had no direct link to it.

Former Donegal player Brendan Devenney during a protest march outside Croke Park in Dublin as the 2026 GAA Annual Congress was in progress. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Nine counties passed motions for the GAA to cut ties with Allianz while Westmeath clubs also backed a proposal to do so. However, those motions were referred to the GAA’s management committee who have already accepted the ethics and integrity commission’s findings.

On Saturday, GAA president Jarlath Burns condemned the “unedifying scenes” in Croke Park and said “a line had been crossed”.

He remarked: “We’re no strangers to protests. In a couple of weeks's time, we will be having the Eid celebration here, where we allow our Islamic brethren in to pray. And there will be people who feel it's not right to protest outside Croke Park that day. We've always facilitated peaceful protests.

“We've even facilitated it in some fields at half-time in some of our matches this year, even though it's against our regulations. But there are almost unwritten rules of engagement between peaceful protests and the allowance of peaceful protests. And I think that there was a line crossed today.

“Coming into our property and disrupting our Congress is unacceptable. We have members of our security team and volunteers injured today, injuries sustained from people who are trying to get in past. That is totally unacceptable.

“And I would urge people who might have been connected with the GAA, who are involved in that protest, to speak about it and to condemn it, because we have a right to carry out our Congress unfettered.” 

Speaking on RTÉ later on Saturday, former Tyrone footballer Peter Canavan, who had been part of the protest on Jones Road, explained there was “quite a lot of anger” expressed at the event about the GAA’s continuing links with Allianz.