The scale of the disruption caused by the fuel protests is a stark warning not simply to the Government but also to Irish society about the fragile nature of democracy when it is confronted by opponents who don’t feel bound by accepted conventions.
In recent decades there has been an increasing tolerance for protesters of all stripes from far right to far left who block major roads or vital bridges and cause serious disruption to people trying to go about their daily lives.
In most cases, those organising conventional protests try to balance the need to publicly air their grievances with the rights of others. It is why most big demonstrations are timed for weekends when the disruption will be least.
However, there has been a growing tendency in recent years for ad hoc groups to go beyond trying to put pressure on the Government of the day and instead challenge the authority of the State by deliberately creating public disorder. It is no coincidence that the most disruptive protests attract support from the far right and the far left in equal measure.
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An opinion poll at the weekend showed almost total backing for the fuel protesters from supporters of Independent Ireland and Sinn Féin. That those two parties were the vocal backers of the motion of no confidence in the Government is hardly surprising, but what should be of real concern to all who believe in basic democratic norms is that so many members of the public don’t appear to have any great problem with such protests.
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That the protests came close to shutting down the economy, disrupting the running of the health service and causing public disorder on a wide scale did not appear to generate widespread indignation. That will surely encourage those on the political extremes to push even harder next time an issue or event comes along that offers a chance to stress the State to breaking point.
The events of the past week are a clear warning to the Government and the gardaí about the scale of the challenges to come. To some extent, this is down to the gentle style of policing that has become the norm in recent decades, with gardaí reluctant to intervene no matter how disruptive the activities of protesters.
While there is no public appetite here for the aggressive style of policing that generally marks protests in continental Europe, there does need to be a recognition that if what we saw last week becomes normalised then our society is on a slippery slope.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), which is vigilant in protecting human rights, issued a statement last week pointing out that the right to peaceful protest was an important cornerstone of our democracy. However, the ICCL went on to say that the right to peaceful protest was not an absolute right and could be restricted or limited under certain circumstances.
“The protections afforded to protest are weakened when issues arise related to, for example, public safety, people’s access to healthcare, a risk to life, public order, or incitement of violence or hatred.”
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The ICCL noted that the fuel protesters were not a homogenous group and there had been reports of missed medical appointments, forecourts running out of fuel and significant delays for emergency services responding to call outs.
“Members of An Garda Síochána have a range of powers under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and the Road Traffic Act 1961 to disperse protesters and deal with traffic obstructions.”
As the protests escalated last week there were signs that the Government was becoming increasingly frustrated with the apparent reluctance of gardaí to implement the law and deal with traffic obstructions, particularly at the Whitegate oil refinery in Cork.
Last weekend, the gardaí finally moved. The timing was fortunate as, by that stage, Government ministers had been talking to official bodies representing road hauliers and farmers and had come up with a package of relief measures that took the heat out of the protests – even if the more extreme elements insisted on continuing.
The scale of the disruption inflicted by the protesters and political cover given to them by the motion of no confidence put down by Sinn Féin and its allies in the Dáil is a warning that the challenge to the State’s authority is likely to manifest itself again.
Political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli warned almost 500 years ago that wise rulers needed to consider not only the present but also potential future discords and diligently guard against them: “For being foreseen they can easily be remedied but if one waits till they are at hand the medicine is no longer in time and the malady has become incurable.”
The Government and gardaí have now seen how dangerous the malady has become. It is time for a comprehensive plan to deal with future discords.
