LAST UPDATE | 1 Apr

THE DÁIL TODAY heard allegations that female protesters were strip-searched following yesterday’s Mothers Against Genocide protest outside Leinster House at which 11 people were arrested. 

The protest was held on Mother’s Day on Sunday with some protesters participating in an overnight vigil into Monday morning. 

Mothers Against Genocide then held a sit down demonstration outside the Dáil’s entrance on Monday morning and 11 people were subsequently arrested on public order offences.

In videos shared on social media, gardaí can be seen forcibly removing women sitting blocking the entrance gate on Kildare Street. The arrests were made before 9am.

In the Dáil today, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett described it as a “peaceful sit down protest” and said the women were arrested “violently, in some cases”.

He quoted an account he said he received from one of the women involved.

“I was stripped completely naked and was asked to remove my underwear. When I questioned the necessity of this, I was told I would be forced violently, if I didn’t comply,” the account read.

“After removing my underwear, they looked inside my private areas and touched all my sensitive parts.”

Boyd Barrett described the alleged behaviour as “absolutely disgusting” and said the women “were a threat to nobody”.

Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger said she personally knew some of the protestors, and that they were simply holding a memorial for those who have been killed in Gaza.

“Some of those women were strip-searched and one was subjected to a cavity search,” she said.

She also alleged that protesters were told by gardaí: “What do you think would happen if you were outside the White House right now?”

The TDs raised the issue during Leaders’ Questions.

In his response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there was “no problem” with peaceful protests, but that Mothers Against Genocide were blocking the entrance to Dáil Éireann.

“You can protest on the left hand side [of the entrance]. You can protest on the right hand side. You can protest across the road.

“What happened then was the gardaí gave a direction under the Public Order Act … They were given time to adhere to the direction. The direction was not complied with, and a number of people were arrested then for offences contrary to the minister of justice’s Public Order Act.”

He said 11 people were arrested under Section 8 of the of the Act, failure to comply with garda direction, and all 11 have received adult cautions.

The Taoiseach said he will follow up with the Justice Minister about the specific allegations – “because I would not understand the necessity for any strip searching or whatever”.  

The matter was also raised by a number of other TDs in the Dáil this evening. 

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said he would not address the matter directly in the Dáil but said that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is being restructured, and renamed Fiosrú, stating that this is the body to which complaints and alleged misconduct by members of An Garda Síochana should be reported. 

“It’s the case around the world that it’s absolutely appropriate that all police forces should not regulate themselves. They should not decide on complaints against themselves. We have a proper statutory body in place to deal with any complaints if people wish to make complaints,” he said.

Following the statements made in the Dáil today, a garda representative told The Journal that “An Garda Síochána is aware of statements made in Dáil Éireann today under privilege. Any person that has a formal complaint to make can do so at any Garda Station or through the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.”

In a statement to The Journal, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) said it could not confirm if any complaints had been made.

“GSOC does not confirm or deny the existence of complaints made by or against individuals. This is to protect the investigative process, and the rights both of complainants, and those complained against.”