THE OCCUPY Dame Street protest group camped outside the Central Bank in Dublin has been asked by the Garda to vacate the site before the St Patrick’s Festival.
A member of the group said yesterday, however, that while it recognised the importance of the request, it had no plans to leave the site.
The camp was established on the Central Bank plaza on October 8th in solidarity with other “Occupy” protests in the US and Europe against economic and social inequality.
In a letter delivered to the Dame Street camp yesterday afternoon, Garda Supt Joseph Gannon asked for “assistance and co-operation in removing” the camp.
This was “in order to facilitate the holding of the St Patrick’s Day parade and to ensure that it passes off without risk of injury or harm to members of the community and visitors, and to the satisfaction of all concerned”.
Supt Gannon said he was writing “in the context of the ad hoc conversations and consultations we have had with participants in the Occupy Dame Street camp over the last number of months”. He was also writing in the context of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations over the weekend of March 16th-19th.
“St Patrick’s Day, as you will be aware, and in particular the parade through Dublin city, is an event that attracts huge numbers of tourists and visitors from abroad and elsewhere in the country.
“An Garda Síochána’s policing of major events is very much predicated on adherence to codes of practice governing major outdoor events and health and safety stipulations under health and safety legislation.
“In that context, we are concerned about the presence of significant amounts of wooden pallets and other hardware in and around your camp at the Central Bank plaza,” he said.
The letter requested a response from the Occupy Dame Street group through telephone, email or post by March 3rd.
It is understood, however, that the group has no plans to disband. A member of the group said it would like to work with the Garda and fire service on health and safety issues.
“We would like to propose having a positive presence here throughout the festival and have face-paints and performing arts, and even paint the camp green to blend in”
The Occupy London group was evicted by police from its site outside St Paul’s Cathedral early yesterday on foot of a high court order.