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The messages were spray-painted on the front-facing wall of the department's Iveagh House building. Palestine Action Éire
Iveagh House
'US military out' graffiti spray-painted on Foreign Affairs HQ during overnight protest
Protest group Palestine Action Éire have claimed responsibility for the graffiti, which gardaí are investigating.
GARDAÍ HAVE LAUNCHED a criminal damage investigation following the appearance of anti-US military graffiti on Iveagh House in Dublin, the Department of Foreign Affairs’ headquarters.
At around 4am this morning, red graffiti saying “US Military out of Shannon”, “Search the Planes” and a signature by protest group Palestine Action Éire were sprayed around the front door of the building.
A number of red stains were painted on the surrounding walls.
In a post on social media, Palestine Action Éire claimed that two individuals were behind the graffiti on the Department of Foreign Affairs office last night.
The group criticised the department for refusing to cut “ties with the US-Israeli military supply chain.”
It is not the first time the building has been targeted by protesters. Last August, red paint was thrown on Iveagh House during a pro-Palestine demonstration. Similarly, the building was targeted by protestors in November 2023.
In a statement this morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs said they were aware of the “security incident” at Iveagh House early this morning, and said that gardaí are “actively following up on the matter”.
A garda spokesperson confirmed that gardaí were dispatched to the scene shortly after the building was spray-painted.
“The alarm was raised shortly after 4am following paint damage to the building’s front façade,” the spokesperson said.
“The scene has undergone forensic examination and inquiries are ongoing.”
Taoiseach Micheál Marting described the behaviour as “shocking”, saying it “beggars belief” that people did that to a building that “belongs to the Irish people”.
“There’s no need for it.
“Fundamentally, Israel needs to call off the slaughter and stop the slaughter. That’s what’s required.”
The incident follows a claim by Palestine Action Éire that three of its members were detained after breaking into Shannon Airport earlier this month.
On 1 May, the group said the activists got onto the runway and attempted to inspect a US military plane, forcing the airport to shut down operations for an hour.
During the incident, a white van rammed through the perimeter fence, and several people wearing orange jumpsuits, hard hats, and face coverings entered the restricted airside area.
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