Dublin fuel protesters ‘ambushed’ in late-night Garda operation, spokesman says

Fuel protesters in Dublin city centre were “ambushed” by an “army” of public order police, according to a spokesman for the blockaders.

The blockade of the capital’s main thoroughfare O’Connell Street was cleared in a late-night police operation, ahead of an emergency Cabinet meeting on Sunday to sign off on measures the Irish Government hopes will bring all protests over fuel costs to an end.

The Irish police service An Garda Siochana conducted a separate operation to clear another blockade at Galway docks, where gardai with shields and protective gear clashed with protesters at the harbour.

The protests – including blockades of Ireland’s only oil refinery in Cork and another depot in Limerick – strangled fuel distribution across the country and prompted an escalated policing response that resulted in several arrests and public order units deployed three times.

Participants – largely led by hauliers, farmers, and agricultural workers – began distinct but co-ordinated action on Tuesday with slow-moving convoys and outright stoppages on major motorways, as well as blockades of critical infrastructure which had largely wound down by midday on Sunday.

Over six consecutive days, spokesmen had called on the Government to take urgent action to reduce fuel costs which they say are at unsustainable levels and will lead to people going out of business.

Elsewhere, protesters voted to leave a blockade at a depot in Foynes, Co Limerick while several trucks were granted access to Rosslare Europort.

However, disruption continued on Irish motorways as protesters blocked traffic – which had been exacerbated by the disbandment of the blockades.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s largest opposition party Sinn Fein said it would call a motion of no confidence in the Government.

Speaking about the overnight Garda operation on O’Connell Street, Dublin protest spokesman Christopher Duffy said: “We got absolutely ambushed here last night by what I can only describe as an army of (public order gardai).”

He said protesters were “pulling out of O’Connell Street” because gardai had threatened to tow their vehicles, which he said could damage them.

“So we have no choice, financially we have to move the vehicles.”

He called for rural TDs and independents “propping up the Government” to call a motion of no confidence in the coalition.

Asked if the overall protests are now over, he said: “I don’t think so.”

Meanwhile, the Defence Forces assisted gardai with clearing a makeshift barrier erected by protesters blockading Galway docks.

Footage posted on social media by An Garda Siochana showed a Defence Forces heavy-lift recovery truck – nicknamed ‘the Beast’ – driving through the barrier constructed with pallets and logs, while a garda helicopter monitored overhead.

A second heavy-lift recovery truck operated by the Defence Forces was also at the scene while gardai worked to restore access to the harbour, as the Public Order Unit members with plastic shields pushed against a line of demonstrators.

The coalition Government is expected to sign off on fuel-cost measures on Sunday evening, but it remains to be seen if it will convince protesters to call off any return to action when the return of schools on Monday adds to pressure on the roads.

On Saturday, gardai first cleared a blockade of the Whitegate oil refinery in Co Cork.

It also saw physical clashes between protesters and gardai, who used pepper spray during the hour-long operation which resecured access for fuel trucks.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly had vowed to step up enforcement against fuel-cost protesters “endangering the state” by blocking critical infrastructure.

Protesters’ demands for meetings with Government were not acceded to but relevant ministers held talks with established national representative bodies on Friday and Saturday.

These meetings concluded with a “substantial” package involving a temporary fuel transport support scheme” and “temporary fuel support”.

It is understood the transport support scheme will see direct payments to businesses in the sectors affected by high fuel costs.

A senior source said the scheme will be part of a broader package on the fuel crisis.

The engagements included Irish Road Haulage Association president Ger Hyland, who said there were “the bones of an agreement” with the Government.

He added he hoped the “substantial package”, understood to include a direct payment scheme, would be agreed by Sunday morning.

The Cabinet is due to meet at 4pm on Sunday to sign off on the measures.

Commissioner Kelly said the blockades of critical infrastructure “resulted in fuel shortages that are directly impacting on emergency services such as hospitals, the ambulance service and the fire service, as well as businesses and the general public”.

He said: “These are blockades. They are not a legitimate form of protest.”

He added: “We gave the blockaders fair warning that we were moving to enforcement and they choose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom.”

The escalated enforcement action came as Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan warned it would “still take 10 days to recover” to normal.

Mr McPartlan, who had estimated that up to two-thirds of the country’s 1,500 filling stations could have ran dry by Sunday morning, said the situation is “rapidly changing” due to the garda interventions – but said hundreds of forecourts would still be without fuel.

While fuel truck access to Whitegate oil refinery was ramping up significantly, ongoing disruption on major roads was affecting distribution.

Blockades have resulted in full closures of parts of major motorways, although Gardai announced blockades on the M50 at junctions five and seven had been cleared on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, police in Northern Ireland said they are “maintaining an ongoing assessment” in relation to social media posts calling for similar planned protests there.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “A policing response has been prepared, if needed, to ensure public safety and to help minimise any potential disruption to the wider community.”