Occupy Dame Street protesters asked to make way for St Patrick’s Day parade

Dublin request follows eviction of London group

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Protester outside Central Bank in Dublin at the Occupy Dame Street demonstration

Photo by Photocall

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The Occupy Dame Street group has been told to clear their protest camp before the St Patrick’s Day celebrations get underway in Dublin.

Irish police have written to the protestors just days after a similar group in London were evicted from their camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Dublin protest group have vowed to maintain their vigil outside the Irish Central Bank building however.

A spokesman for the group told the Irish Times that they ‘recognized’ the importance of the request but ‘have no plans’ to vacate the site.

The Occupy Dame Street camp was set-up outside the Irish government’s bank last October in solidarity with similar protests in Europe and the United States.

Dublin police chief Superintendent Joseph Gannon wrote to the group on Tuesday and asked for ‘assistance and co-operation in removing’ the camp.

“This is in order to facilitate the holding of the St Patrick’s Day parade and to ensure that it passes off without risk of injury or harm to members of the community and visitors, and to the satisfaction of all concerned,” he wrote.

“I am writing in the context of the ad hoc conversations and consultations we have had with participants in the Occupy Dame Street camp over the last number of months.

“I am also writing in the context of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations over the weekend of March 16th-19th.

“St Patrick’s Day, as you will be aware, and in particular the parade through Dublin city, is an event that attracts huge numbers of tourists and visitors from abroad and elsewhere in the country.

“An Garda Síochána’s (the Irish police force)  policing of major events is very much predicated on adherence to codes of practice governing major outdoor events and health and safety stipulations under health and safety legislation.

“In that context, we are concerned about the presence of significant amounts of wooden pallets and other hardware in and around your camp at the Central Bank plaza.”

Supt Gannon also requested a reply from the Occupy Dame Street Group by March 3rd but they are not going to accede to his wishes to leave the site.

The spokesman added: “We have no plans to disband. We would like to work with the Garda (police) and fire service on health and safety issues.

“We would like to propose having a positive presence here throughout the festival and have face-paints and performing arts, and even paint the camp green to blend in”

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