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The Explainer
The Explainer
9 Apr 2026
How far can a protest go before the State steps in?
00:00
Ireland's fuel protests have brought parts of the country to a standstill this week, with blockades at refineries and slow-moving convoys on major roads - and currently with no end in sight. But the disruption has raised a much bigger question: where exactly is the legal line when it comes to protest in Ireland? Dr Illan Wall, professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway, takes us through the law, the policing of demonstrations, and why Ireland's protest landscape may be shifting in ways we haven't seen before.