Victory on Leafleting issue, Galway

galway | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday December 16, 2003 15:22

by Orla Ni Chomhrai - Defend Free Speech, Assembly and Activity

nichomhrai at eircom dot net

Galway City Council adopts amended version of Litter Pollution Bye-law. Now only commercial leaflets are banned on the streets.

Last night Galway City Council adopted the amended version of the Draft Litter Pollution Bye-Law. The law now reads:

" The distribution of advertising material to the public for commercial purposes within the administrative area of the council is hereby prohibited."

Therefore the right of community and political groups to take their issues to the streets has been defended. This marks a victory for the Defend Free Speech, Assembly and Activity Campaign which campaigned against the original version of the law which made no distinction between commercial and non-commercial leafleting. (The original version was "The distribution of advertising material in a public place to the public within the administrative area of the Council is hereby prohibited.'' ).

During the consultation process there were 41 critical submissions to City Hall about the bye-laws. People and organisations who wrote in include:

TEEU (Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union), SIPTU, MANDATE, Galway Travellers Support Group, Galway Alliance Against War, Galway Astronomy Club, Bushypark Residents Association, Galway Council of Trade Unions, the Palestine Soidarity Campaign, Donnacha O Connell (professor of Law, NUI, Galway), John Arden and Margaretta D'Arcy, Michael D. Higgins, Kieran Cunnane, James Harrold (Arts Office, Galway City Council).

It was as a result of these submissions, and the very public campaign of the DFSAA which received mass support , that there was a change made to the original draft proposal. There is still the issue of the Parks and Open Spaces Bye-Laws, which relates to the potential restriction of activities such as public assembly, sporting and recreational activity, busking, filming etc. This bye-law will be debated by a committee of the council in February.

For more information go to the Galway region section of this website.