Gardai violently attack eirigi occupation of Anglo Irish

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Saturday May 15, 2010 12:26 by JB - WSM - personal capacity wsm_ireland at yahoo dot com

Appears 'no toleration' poilcy in place for bank bailout protests

Gardai have again attacked campaigners protesting at the bank bailouts this time with batons and dogs. This morning around 7am four people got onto on the overhang of Anglo irish Bank and chained themselves together with a banner read that read 'People of Ireland Rise Up.' In the last half hour a force of some 50 police, secret police and dogs attacked them and their supporters on the ground with batons, fists and feet. At least six were arrested as a melee broke out on Dawson street.

The initial attack seems to have started with ten Gardai, one with a video camera, removed two of the windows frames and came out onto the ledge. They yanked the four people chained together around, a witness on the ground described how he was 'afraid that someone was going to fall off the ledge, it seemed very reckless".

People outside the door of Anglo irish who had gathered to support the protesters split into two groups. One group of 15 or 20 went to the side gate on Dawson street and formed a line blocking it. When the Gardai emerged from the building they attacked this line with batons but the line held. Gardai reenforcements were summoned including a contingent of secret police and dogs. One person in the line described to this reporter how this mob of Gardai then charged the line, fists and batons swinging and how we was knocked to the ground beneath other people as the line collapsed. As people tried to protect themselves from the Gardai attack a melee developed along Dawson street

One campaigner who has stood with the people of Erris at Rossport said "the Gardai went berserk I haven't seen anything like it since Mayo, it was pretty heavy people were being hit by batons and the Gardai were kicking people. Afterwards I heard the cops saying it was a great bit of crack."

It appears the four people on ledger were arrested as well as two or three people who had been outside. All this took place in the space of ten minutes. Inspector Gannon who led the assault on Shell to Sea campaigners at Polthomas pier in Rossport was spotted among the Gardai and witnesses reported they had the clear impression that the Gardai were acting under orders that no further protests against the bank bailouts were to be tolerated.

Up to 100 Gardai are now around Anglo Irish bank with a second protest having being called by eirigi for 14.00 today. It has been confirmed that this protest will still be going ahead as will Tuesdays protest at the Dail.

We would call on people to join the anti-capitalst block at 19.00 at the Wolfe tone statue on Tuesday (opposite Shelbourne Hotel) where we will discuss how to best respond to the attacks on bank bailout protests before proceeding to the Dail.