Occupy Waterford camp cleared

Gardaí cleared out the largely abandoned Occupy Waterford camp in the city this morning.

Gardaí cleared out the largely abandoned Occupy Waterford camp in the city this morning.

The camp had been in place since last October as part of the global anti-capitalist Occupy movement and up to 40 people were living there at its height.

However, protesters taking part in the campaign had fallen out and the camp beside the Clock Tower on the quays was mostly unoccupied in recent weeks.

According to gardaí, the only people found on site when council officials came to clear the area at 5.30am were two teenagers and a homeless man.

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The clearance operation was observed by gardaí.

“The juveniles were taken home,” a Garda spokesman said. “We brought them home to their parents. The people we found there had nothing to do with Occupy Waterford.”

Meanwhile, Galway City Council has warned Occupy Galway protesters of "appropriate legal action" if they do not comply with its request to vacate their Eyre Square camp. The council has cited "serious health and safety concerns" for its request, the first such formal move against the Galway camp since it was established five months ago.

It has asked that all related tents, pallets and hardware to be removed from the site.

However, Occupy Galway spokesman John Walsh said today the camp was not breaking any law, as it was on public property, and it had actually requested a health and safety inspection earlier this year. The camp has between 20 and 50 regular supporters, with small numbers staying at night.

A small number of activists remain at the Occupy Cork camp on the South Mall.

The Occupy Dame Street encampment outside the Central Bank in Dublin was dismantled by gardaí in the early hours of yesterday. Up to 100 gardaí were involved in the operation. One person was arrested but later released without charge. The area was cleared and then cleaned by council workers.