Further Gardai harassment of embassy tree protest

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday April 05, 2002 12:25 by Andrew - The Struggle site

Protest continues at the Palestinian peace tree

Two more photos and more Gardai harrassment of the protesters

Further Gardai harassment of embassy tree protest

I arrived at the protest at around 915am to find five people under the tree. Venus is still in the tree (and still fasting) after five days but she told me that she intends to break her fast tonight. More material has been got to her in the tree including a large plastic sheet to protect her from the rain. She is complaining of leg pains and there is some concern of deep vein thrombosis as it?s difficult to exercise properly in the tree.

Although yesterday was quiet there was further Gardai harassment of the protest this morning. One of the supporters, Finbarr G, who had spent the night at the foot of the tree, told me what happened.

At approx. 4.30am this morning (Friday) an unmarked car pulled onto the pavement alongside the Palestinian peace tree outside the Israeli embassy. This occurred during the only period overnight when five of the six people on the vigil below the tree were away. (Two to get coffee, the 3rd at the toilet).

The first action of one of the Gardai in the car (E69) was to climb on the roof (of the car) and remove the Palestinian flag from the tree where it hung. As people returned to the tree the Gardai (one was E12) began removing placards that were stored at the base of the tree and posters from the surrounding area. Whilst quoting the 1997 litter act they proceeded to remove only political materials. Attempts by protesters present to claim possession of material was met with the threat of being charged under the act. When pressed on the removal of only the protest material and flags but not the other litter present on the street Gardai E12 stated that ?they? were willing to tolerate protest but what was happening here was merely loitering and trespass.

Just before 9am Inspector Hart (for the Irishtown and Donnybrook area) arrived. When informed of the removal of the material and the low-level intimidation which accompanied it he said that the material, if it was actually removed, was likely to cause offence to people, indicating towards the embassy and this would not be tolerated. After being told that the removal was under the litter act whilst only political items were removed, and that the flag, property of the whole group, was removed from the tree, also apparently under the litter act he said he would investigate it and then left. The Irishtown and Donnybrook police stations have been contacted with preliminary complaints.

As I write this article (10.40am) I?ve received SMS text messages from the protest telling me that sometime after I left (at 10am) the Gardai took the names of everyone at the protest. They reason they gave was a complaint from the Embassy under the incitement to hated act because of a placard reading ?Israelis New Nazis? which had been left yesterday by someone, At the same time photos were taken of some protesters. They request people go down and bring posters but be careful not to bring anything that can be claimed to be a racist word or symbol.

An Post has delivered mail to the tree. Please write to Venus, c/o Palestinian peace tree, Carrisbrook House, Pembroke road, Dublin 4

The Alliance for Palestine has called a demonstration this Saturday (April 6) for 1pm at the Central Bank, Dame st. Hopefully if Venus is still in the tree this will march to the Embassy. It has been called under the slogans ?Freedom for Palestine? and ?End Israel?s Occupation Now?.