And Again Physical intimidation under Litter Laws......

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Saturday March 10, 2007 20:09

by C Murray

Tara Campaigner intimidated and bullied by DCC staff

Two weeks ago, Hugh Mc Laughlin (artist and comic-maker) was handing out little
Tara Vigil Leaflets on the streets of Dublin. He was approached by a member of
Dublin City Council Litter Service 'Operatives' and asked to move on or he would be
prosecuted and/or fined under litter laws. He gave out the leaflets and refused to be
bullied. The gardai were called. The Gardai did not prosecute nor did they take his name.
Cos he wasn't doing anything wrong.

Pic Courtesy of Elaine... 'Cleaning up a dirty attack on democracy

And again the bogey of DCC refusing to understand and admit of the democratic right to
free speech, to advertise protest- to overstep the bureaucratic bounds by isolating
individual activists and threatening them with the 'Law'.

DCC were going to continue the litter ban- which had been brought in under
EU presidency, along with the vagrancy laws to 'Clean up' Dublin.

It has been a while now since political groups have complained on this site
about posters been ripped down and dumped, but you can see them torn
and vandalised with meeting times excised all over the place.

Hugh is willing to discuss the incident with the authorities, or better still
go on film and relate the incident. The council workers seem to rely on people
citizens of this city not being aware of their rights when they publically isolate
and attempt to strong arm people. It's not an acceptable state of affairs.

The leaflet is3'x5' inches and is a cartoon and celtic patterning with information
and phone numbers on it. It's black and white and printed on two sides.
it tells of the ongoing monday morning protest and blockade.

If you go into dublin of a saturday night the amount of colour fliers and
commercial freebies handed out and littered on the streets is a sight
to behold- but political advertising is deliberately and consciously
mitigated against by the workers of DCC, using both intimidation
and the Gardai.

The issue of freedom of opinon and communicating it to others seems
beyond the ken of those who put on the blue suit and the little badge.