Low turnout at Dáil anti-water protest

A major Garda operation was put in place around Leinster House for an anti-water protest on Wednesday evening.

Gardaí prepared for what they regarded as a “flashpoint anti-water charges protest” but protesters numbered less than 100 during the evening.

Protesters were leaving by 9pm as gardaí took down barriers on Kildare Street and Molesworth Street.

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Gardaí on duty outside Leinster House during the anti water charges protest on Wednesday, July 15th, 2015. Photograph: Aidan Crawley

The demonstration, as the Dáil terms nears an end, was mounted by the Communities Against Water Charges group.

A large number of uniformed officers were drafted into Dublin’s south inner city and large teams from the Public Order Unit, or riot squad, were deployed.

Holding cells

Among the resources drafted into the city centre were Garda trucks that have been fitted with holding cells.

These can take a large number of suspects, all locked away from each other, in the event of a major public order incident.

Garda sources said they could be used to hold suspects for a period before they were taken to stations for questioning, or to appear before the courts.

Senior Garda officers were keen to prevent any repeat of the sit-down protest on Kildare Street that blocked some TDs and Senators from leaving or entering the houses of the Oireachtas in their cars the week before last.

Former minister for justice Alan Shatter (FG) was surrounded by protesters, whom he later referred to a “fascist thugs”, and prevented for a period from driving his car into the Dáil car park on his way to a sitting of the House.

Galway protest

Meanwhile, protesters objecting to Irish Water’s installation of meters in Galway took to camping chairs in bright sunshine on Wednesday, pledging to continue their vigil for “as long as it takes”.

Residents of Rockfield Park on the city’s west side said they were not opposed to water meters per se, but objected to paying for a service which, they believe, will be “privatised in time”.

Their protest began on Monday when contractors for Irish Water arrived at the estate of some 100 houses and began marking out pavements with blue paint.

“We didn’t blockade anyone who wanted a meter, but we asked that they only be installed outside houses which had agreed to them,” Liz Walsh, a resident for over 30 years, explained.

Gardaí were called by the contractors, and names, addresses and dates of birth of some of the protesters were taken, she said.