Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GARDAÍ IN GALWAY have dismantled the Occupy Galway camp which was established at Eyre Square 215 days ago.
The Garda press office confirmed to TheJournal.ie this morning that the operation – which involved about 40 Gardaí stationed in Galway city and began in the early hours of the morning – has been completed.
One man was arrested for public order offences and is being held at Galway Garda station. RTÉ‘s Morning Ireland reports that there were about nine people at the camp before the operation this morning.
Galway City Council staff helped with the removal of the encampment. In a statement, it said it took the action to remove the protesters because the camp had been erected without consent.
Although the council said it “fully respects” a person’s right to engage in lawful protest, it added that “despite being requested to do so, the occupiers had refused to leave voluntarily”. The council said this rendered the occupation illegal.
Members of the wider public have been denied the use of part of a public amenity by this occupation for several months. Structures erected on the plaza in Eyre Square created a risk to the safety of the occupiers themselves and to others.
“The Occupy Now encampment was an occupation of a public amenity that is not permitted under the law,” it concluded.
Councillors had applied pressure on officials to remove the camp before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race next month.
Writing in The Connacht Sentinel yesterday, Ciarán Tierney said the council passed its third notice of motion in relation to the issue.
Councillors said the matter was now urgent as there would be international attention on the city from 30 June to 8 July.
A camp member told TheJournal.ie that no consultation had taken place ahead of last night’s operation. He said that those occupying the square were not given any warning.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Eh why should they get a warning that they were being moved? Getting a job would be more in their line.
Yes, and they should cut their hair as well!!
loving all the shallow view points based on aesthetics and leaning towards the right. how many of you would be prepared to sit out in our shitty weather and protest. Not too many I would imagine. Look after your own stash…the same sort of attitudes that got the country in the shit in the first place.
They should wash under their nails as well…. Sarcasm! totally respect their commitment, but didn’t seem to have much of a strategy to progress their aims, if they had any.
Good!
Let them protest! ppl should join their protest. They fight for us! you dont need to fight against other nations these days. there is no dictator who wants to start a war anywhere close. bankers and greedy goverments are your new opponent. those guys were our heroes. iceland make their choice and protest. they make it happend – no more toxic banks etc. what you can do?…. good? u are sad!
About bloody time!!
Proper order get the spungers out
Very good
Im glad … At least now the winos that normally used to plague that area get their square back.
Of course they weren’t given warning – had they been, the gardaí would have found a hundred people waiting for them, chained to the fence.
Insert anti protest rant here___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Still no convictions for the great 2008 banking fraud. So the government wants us to forget it and get on with the euro crisis which was caused by? a) the people
b) the banks
So I hope people can find another way of protesting maybe camping wasn’t the best idea but it’s hopefully got a few people thinking.
What do you work at
What do you work at?
Curse those among us protesting against corruption and for democracy !! They might now dismantle another few eye sores like the banks, quangos etc!!
I know, its kind of amazing, the vitriol spewed at a few of the 450,000 unemployed people protesting…
Unelected lifetime net tax takers claiming to represent 99% of humanity. For democracy? I don’t think so.
Whats the EU got to do with this story Donal?
Sorry Dermot – what do you mean?
Ahh don’t mind me Donal, it’s just that every time I see the words unelected and a question mark after democracy I automatically think of the EU…..Carry on.
The so-called unelected elements of the EU are appointed by elected representatives.
They don’t appoint themselves.
Unlike the occupiers.
On an unrelated topic, there’s an ad in the local paper this morning for 53 wooden pallets and 12 second hand tents for sale at a reasonable price.
I respect a person’s right to protest but what have any of these occupy movements actually achieved? They say they are representing the people who are suffering most but what about the small business owners in the vicinity of the camps who felt they were losing much needed business?
Excellent point
If you actually gave an inkling of a sh*t about small businesses throughout the country you’d out on the streets protesting with these people instead of making stupid ill informed remarks on the internet. What contribution do you actually make to the human race?
I’d say Andrea makes more of a contribution tithe human race than you do Gay. Judging by your rants
You sound annoyed Gay, is that because your friends were made homeless overnight, and may be crashing on your couch for a while?
I’d rather have them crash on my couch than someone like you if you’re ever homeless.
Jesus, they must be so frigging bored. I’d have lasted an hour I’d say. :)
It really was a nice idea but taking over public spaces in a nice area while doing little more than becoming an eye sore. There’s a boat race coming there soon if I’m not wrong and unkempt wasters do nothing for the image of Ireland on a world stage. I wouldn’t insult jobless people by referring to these wasters as jobless as the vast majority have no intention of working.
Thats not one bit fair to the occupy movement. Dirty handed antics by the council and gardai. Removing a camp without giving any notice or intent to do so…. (not) I’m sure the occupy movement gave notice to the council and gardai in the beginning that they were going to camp out for months in shabby eyesore shanty town style tents. I’m not from Galway, so any time I went there I found Eyre Square polluted by them. I wonder how the locals feel to be rid of them
WOW… I’m getting more red thumbs down than thumbs up for my earlier comment. I didn’t realise so many crusties had android phones and Internet connections. I’m sure that goes against their ethos !
Give it up lads. You’re achieving nothing.
After all Occupy Galway achieved for the last 200+ days………..
It looks like Gay Pea McManus has at least got his Junior Cert history under his belt.
The ‘occupy’ tactic no longer works. Back to the drawing-board and come up with something better.
Well what do you suggest as an alternative to non violent protest Willie, bombs and machine guns?!
The bitter little people who do nothing but whine and moan on here about every day but when it comes to the crunch rather than than joining these people on the streets in solidarity denigrate them, well there is no place in hell hot enough for them in my book. These are the type of mediocre cowards who turned a blind eye to the holocaust in Germany, and went along with the Nazis because it was none of their business. Look if you can’t bring yourselves to support the efforts of others to bring about peaceful democratic change at least have the decency to keep your ignorant mouths shut once in a while.
I think the Holocaust was somewhat different…..
Peaceful democratic change comes about by being elected. These guys know they haven’t a hope of ever getting elected. They reject democracy.
No it wasn’t, people voted in large numbers Nazis out of cowardly self interest, the grassed in the dissenting voices, the sat back while they burned the books, attacked “non Germans” , the Jews, the gypsy, the gays, the feminists, the socialists and other “undesirables”, they could have spoken out in large numbers, they could have resisted but they were cowards they allowed it to progress and the end result to their acquiescence was the holocaust. Please don’t try to say to me it’s different because the mentality that led up to it is identical.
If you do respect these people’s right to protest peacefully and democratically as you suggest, then leave it at that instead of going out of your way to turn opinion against them.
How is occupying a public space democratic? How is refusing to obey the lawful instructions of a Garda peaceful or democratic?
Comparing this situation to the Holocaust would do more to turn public opinion against this movement than anything I or anyone else could say. Keep up the good work.
If you want to create change via democratic means, run for election.
There are a scary amount of repeat paterns between the world to day and 20s/30s Germany. The identification of an eithnic group as the “Enemy” involved in a world wide conspiricy. The collapse of financial systems, The increasing erosion of individule freedoms and these things need to be gaurded aganist. When the occupy movement started it was a powerfull symbol because it was people of all ages and social backgrounds comeing together to say enough, but it went on to long it devolved back to the same groups of full time protesters that you see at everything, with no real agenda and no alternitives. Protest is importent in fact it is vital, but it must be focused and vibrent and have the backing of the community. Occupy by overstaying it’s usefullness alowed it selv to fade into the background like an election poster thats been up to long, it was no longer seen. So yes something new is needed and G.P.McM this does not have to be voilent but it does have to be focused, vibrent and above all inclusive.
Journal – I just wrote out a long and thought out comment?? Why is it not published???
it happened to me once too (the reason was I simply forgot to log-in), …so if it has to be long comment write it down somewhere else, and copy paste here, that’s what I always do. Doing that you can always post it again, if you loose it for some reason :)
Ding dong the occupy people are gone…. and golly what they accomplished in just seven months of camping in Eyre Sq was nothing short of amazing. For example, they, um, held protests which catered to crowds as big as roughly nine people… oh and they went into Bank of Ireland that one time and shouted alot. Yeah the banks were surely shaking in their boots – these losers are gone but soon to be forgotten.
Why are my comments not posting Journal?
What is happening to my comment Journal?
Andrea, just emailed you re: comments.
Thanks
Sinead
Mine too? ALL of them!
Greediness wins unfortunately.And here it is the case.Human rights don’t matter any more. :-|
Greediness wins always unfortunately.
have your say