DUBLIN – Hundreds gathered for a violent anti-lockdown protest here yesterday, with police charging the crowd and arresting 23 demonstrating against ongoing virus curbs in Ireland.
Prime Minister Micheal Martin condemned the protest on the streets of the capital, resulting in the arrests.
Hundreds gathered for a planned demonstration against Covid-19 curbs at a city-centre park, but were blocked from the area by police.
Scenes quickly turned violent, with fireworks aimed at officers at close range. Public-order police charged the crowd numerous times with batons drawn.
Demonstrators handed out leaflets reading “Let Ireland live” and chanted “End the lockdown”.
Among the crowd were individuals wearing clothing with the logo of the far-right National Party.
Police said three officers were injured, one of whom has been hospitalised, in the protest that lasted around two hours.
Martin said it “showed a complete lack of respect to the people who have made huge sacrifices during this pandemic”.
“There can be no justification for the march or the violence that unfolded,” he added in a statement.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said a special court sitting is being arranged to ensure those arrested are “prosecuted speedily”.
There have been 4,313 deaths from Covid-19 in Ireland, according to the latest official figures.
The nation is in the midst of its third lockdown, which Martin on Tuesday extended by a further month until April 5.
Ireland navigated two previous waves of Covid-19 with relatively low case and death figures.
However, infections surged after restrictions were relaxed in the run-up to Christmas.
Early last month, the country had the highest per capita infection rate in the world, according to Oxford University data. – AFP, February 28, 2021
