CIVIL LIBERTIES LOBBY EXPRESSES CONCERN WITH USE OF PUBLIC ORDER ACT

national | miscellaneous | news report

Monday March 11, 2002 19:48

by Joe Carolan - Globalise Resistance

globalise_resistance at yahoo dot com

The Other World Which is Possible

087 9032281

Press Conference 11am TUESDAY March 12th EARL OF KILDARE on Kildare Street

CIVIL LIBERTIES LOBBY EXPRESSES CONCERN WITH USE OF PUBLIC ORDER ACT TO SUPRESS POLITICAL PROTEST

Representatives from the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, the Irish Anti-War Movement and
Professor Ivana Bacik are holding a press conference on Tuesday 12th March
to highlight their concern with the increasing use of the Public Order Act to arrest political
activists. They also oppose the recent proposals to extend the powers of the Gardai to detain
those arrested under the Public Order Act.

There is a curbing of the right to protest internationally as a response to a growing mood of
protest such as Seattle, Genoa and Prague. Many states are responding to the growth of
anti-globalisation and anti-war protests by restricting the right to protest. This clampdown can be seen in Ireland through the use of the Public Order Act to arrest peaceful demonstrators at anti-privatisation protest at the Burlington Hotel (15 arrested), anti-war protests (2) and
pro-cycling Critical Mass protest (5).

Kieran Allen, arrested at an anti war demo last October stated
"I was the chief steward on a demonstration that tried to march from the US embassy to the British embassy to express our opposition to war. A Garda officer attempted to disperse this demonstration
and I was convicted and fined 1,200 euro for not complying with his attempt to do this. I regard
this as an outrageous attack that is similar to a failed attempts by Dublin Corporation to ban
protests from the GPO".

Andy Storey, Afri stated, "The attack on the right to protest in Ireland has to be seen as part of a wider global trend. The British and US governments are introducing draconian legislation
curtailing civil liberties. The EU is introducing new measures that classify as 'terrorist' a
range of hitherto legitimate protest actions such as occupation of public buildings and industrial
action in key public utilities"

Speaking at the Press Conference are;
Liam Herrick (Irish Council of Civil Liberties), Ivana Bacik (Reid Professor of Law, TCD),
Colin Coulter (Lecturer, Maynooth),
Andy Storey (Action from Ireland),
Kieran Allen (Lecturer UCD, Anti-War Movement)

CONTACT RORY HEARNE, 087 9890330, [email protected]