Early in the morning on April 3, Gardaí detained an activist associated with the Dublin City University (DCU) chapter of the Boycott Divest and Sanction Movement (BDS).
Early in the morning on April 3, Gardaí detained an activist associated with the Dublin City University (DCU) chapter of the Boycott Divest and Sanction Movement (BDS). The activist was held in custody for several hours at Ballymun Garda Station and charged under Section 6 and 19 of the Public Order Act before being released.
DCU invited Taoiseach Michaél Martin to celebrate the opening of the new DCU Polaris building on the Glasnevin campus, which will be used to expand teaching and research facilities for students and staff at the university. Following this announcement, DCU BDS called for an emergency protest against the visit of the Taoiseach, who was condemned for being “complicit in genocide” by the organisation.
At 9:30am, students gathered at the entrance to the Polaris building, where Mr. Martin entered. However, a video shared by DCU BDS shows how aggressive behaviour by Ballymun Gardaí soon turned into the arrest of one of the students (20) who was knocking at the windows of the new Polaris building. The student asked the Gardaí if this was illegal, to which they replied that it was not. This video, in which BDS requests immediate support, shows the Gardaí “pinning an activist face down on the concrete.”
Protestors repeatedly asked where the Gardaí was bringing the student, and what their supposed crime and notice was. The Gardaí did not respond to the protestors, only finding out the station's location from the arrested activist via the back of the Gardaí car. The activist was later released, and according to DCU BDS, is due to appear in court under the mentioned charges.
The DCU BDS organisation released a public statement on the same day stating:
“We are appalled by how DCU students were treated by the Gardaí, DCU security and DCU administration for peacefully protesting on our campus.”
They said that Gardaí and DCU security used “excessive force.” They denounced these actions as “an attempt by An Garda Síochána to intimidate, silence and exhaust us.”
The Ballymun Garda Station, in a statement to Trinity College Dublin’s University Times, said that “An Garda Síochána respects the right of citizens to exercise their constitutional rights; exercising such rights does not extend to committing breaches of statutory law.” The Gardaí assert they were only there to maintain peace and order.
The Gardaí have been also publicly criticised for their recent excessive use of force against protestors on Mother’s Day, March 30, when the group Mothers Against Genocide held an overnight peaceful protest and vigil in remembrance of the mothers and children who have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes.
This was held in front of Leinster House in which, after the overnight encampment, Gardaí ordered them to clear the entrance of the Dáil and remove photographs. Resisting their demands, 10 women and one man were subsequently arrested by members of the Gardaí “for offences contrary to the Criminal Justice Act [Section 8] 1994”. Later, Gardaí arrested and charged an additional three men as well.
Mothers Against Genocide made a public statement later in the week stating, contrary to the Gardaí’s statement, “At no time was public access blocked” and that ministers were made aware. The group claimed that multiple women were stripped and searched, and one was subjected to a cavity search. These events have led to complaints, and multiple women are now seeking legal action against the Gardaí.