Gardaí spat at and had urine thrown at them during anti lockdown riots
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has received a commitment from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris that he will revisit the resourcing of public order units and the priority vaccination of Gardaí following the riots in Dublin last Saturday.
GRA President Frank Thornton and General Secretary Philip McAnenly met with Commissioner Harris today where they voiced concerns about the policing of future demonstrations.
“Our members were spat at, had urine thrown at them and were forced into numerous close physical engagements during Saturday’s violence in Dublin” Garda Thornton said.
“These close contacts were with people who are opposed to public health measures to prevent Covid infection which increased the risk of infection for our members.
“The Commissioner accepted our contention that Gardaí are critical frontline workers and said he would argue for higher prioritisation of Gardaí for vaccination at government level.
“Several members sustained injuries on Saturday including one who underwent surgery this week for a serious ankle injury,” Garda Thornton said.
After Saturday’s events, the GRA reiterated its call for better resourcing of public order units and better equipment such as body cameras.
“Our number one priority is member safety and we got a firm commitment from the Commissioner to look again at how public order events are policed, including the planning and resourcing of operations.
“There are efforts to organise demonstrations in Cork and Dublin over the next couple of weeks so urgent action is critical,” Garda Thornton said.
