Court dismisses case of anti-globalisation protester

A Public Order Act case against an anti-globalisation protester was this afternoon dismissed at Dublin District Court.

Mr Rory Hearne of the Globalise Resistance movement had been charged under Sections 6 and 8 of the Public Order Act in relation to a demonstration outside a Public-Private Partnership Summit at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on October 10th last.

Judge Gerard Haughton had earlier dismissed the charge brought under Section 8 of the Act when the State sought to make a change to the charge. "I’m of the view that this is a material amendment being sought at the last minute," said the Judge in refusing to allow it.

After hearing over three hours of evidence this morning and afternoon, Judge Haughton also dismissed the charge brought under Section 6 of the Act, which was one of breach of the peace, where it was alleged the Mr Hearne had tried to interfere with the arrest of another man.

In dismissing the case, Judge Haughton said most of the evidence he had heard from the prosecution had been "totally and utterly unconnected to that arrest".

He said effectively the only evidence the State had brought in relation to the charge was that of a single garda, Garda Brendan O’Halloran.

The Judge said it should have been possible to find the garda who had allegedly arrested the person whose arrest Mr Hearne had been charged with seeking to prevent.

Protestors from Globalise Resistance assembled at 10 a.m. at the court to call for the charges against Mr Hearne to be dropped. They said their democratic right to protest was being infringed by the trial.

Mr Hearne said "The arrests at the demonstration are part of a general clamp down on civil liberties since September 11th. Governments are using the pre-text of fighting terrorism to clamp down on opposition movements...

"I was arrested while leaving the demonstration and was singled out simply because I am a prominent spokesperson for Globalise Resistance," he said.