Covid-19: Cork anti-lockdown rally rails against enslavement irishtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irishtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A North Corkman who spoke at last weekend s anti-Covid 19 lockdown rally in Cork city has defended the holding of the event and strongly criticised the government for imposing a lockdown which, he claimed, was unnecessary and causing huge hardship for people in almost every facet of their lives.
Noel Baker: They gathered as if it would make Covid go away
Anti-lockdown protest in Cork city centre drew a crowd of more than 450 people amid a large garda presence People attending the anti-lockdown protest rally on St Patrick s Street in Cork city centre on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Larry Cummins
Sun, 07 Mar, 2021 - 12:21
Noel Baker, Social Affairs Correspondent
One byproduct of Saturday s anti-lockdown event in Cork city was that Van Morrison might have gained a few fans. Even the notoriously grumpy singer might raise a smile at that.
Van s As I Walked Out , from his critically panned new album, was played over a tinny speaker as the organisers from a group called the People s Convention set up outside Brown Thomas, the crowd expectant and building, despite having been urged to stay away.
Cork anti-lockdown protest, attended by hundreds, passes peacefully irishtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irishtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Gardai stop and search people before a demonstration against lockdown restrictions organised by the People’s Convention in Cork city centre (Niall Carson/PA)
Gardaí warned that the Cork demonstration - described by the CPC as a peaceful assembly and planned long before the Dublin event - was not exempt from current Covid-19 restrictions and those who attended in breach of Level Five controls risked being fined.
All traffic into Cork city was checked at an outer cordon for compliance to the 5km Level Five travel restriction - while a special security operation was mounted around St Patrick s Street and the city centre.