Anti-lockdown protests will be the focus of a meeting between Garda representatives and the force s Commissioner later.
Violent scenes in Dublin last weekend left three Gardaí injured and led to 24 arrests, with one man currently in custody in connection to a firework attack on officers.
A second protest is planned for Cork City this coming weekend.
Former Donegal Garda Sergeant, Christy Galligan, says Gardaí will be working to ensure there isn t a repeat of events in the capital:
The triggering of Article 16 by the European Commission last weekend, if only for a short period, is now being capitalised upon by the extremes in unionism/loyalism, not helped by Jim Allister of the TUV and others.
This was their excuse to portray the EU as the big bad wolf in sheep’s clothing who crudely attempted to cut off Northern Ireland from Great Britain in relation to life-saving vaccines, and further the cause for Irish unity for republicans. The threats against staff at Northern ports by loyalists highlights the very delicate and fraught position that is Northern Ireland.
That graffiti and possible intelligence gathering by loyalist supporters against port workers is now seen as another threat, in an often delicate peace process, is truly worrying.
It is harrowing to think that for decades we as a country – a relatively new State – treated young women and children so horrendously and that neglect and lack of health care caused the deaths of 9,000 innocents babies and children.
I cannot for the life of me understand why we are allowing so many people into the Irish Republic by way of Northern Ireland when we have placed travel restrictions on other ports and airports.
People flying in to Belfast and Derry airports from London and other parts of the UK are travelling to their destinations by bus or hired car. It is total madness given the restrictions and lockdown in the UK.
I can understand people want to get home for Christmas but to risk not only yourself but your family members and loved ones is a tad inconsiderate, or even selfish, given the health crisis we are in.
I read Charlie Weston’s piece on a decade of surging house prices (‘Ireland has EU’s highest housing cost after 10 years of surging prices,’ Irish Independent, December 11) beside Caroline O’Doherty, who wrote of the “love affair with detached homes” (‘Detached homes still dominate the property choices for homeowners,’ Irish Independent, December 11). My conclusion is Irish people will pay over the odds to own their home and garden, differing from the rest of Europe.
I then read John Connell’s piece on RTÉ’s
The Hunger (‘The quietness arising from the skeletons around the table still pervades our land,’