Gardai have not been contacted by the organisers of a Reclaim the Streets party in Dublin, which is set to coincide with Sunday's All-Ireland football final.
The event is a repeat of the one which ended in violence in the city centre in May, when there were 24 arrests and Garda baton charges left a dozen people needing medical treatment.
A Garda spokesman said yesterday that the force knew nothing about Sunday's protest other than the few details on posters which have appeared around Dublin.
However, he said gardaí would maintain a "presence" near St Stephen's Green, where the event is expected to start at 2.30 p.m., and other officers would be on "stand-by".
A spokesman for the organisers said last night that the event had been called to mark European Car- Free Day, and it was "unfortunate" that it clashed with the big match at Croke Park.
But he added that it was a conscious decision by the protesters not to liaise with the authorities. Participants would move off from St Stephen's Green, and "reclaim" an unspecified street for an afternoon party, as they did in May.
He predicted that at least 1,000 people would attend and said that "99 per cent" of these would be peaceful. However, he said the organisers would not be responsible if small numbers of trouble-makers turned up.
The street party is being held as a Garda investigation into the response to the May 1st trouble nears completion. The head of the inquiry, assistant commissioner Mr Tony Hickey, told The Irish Times yesterday that the report on the incident would be completed by early October, if not sooner.
It will then be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide whether members of the Garda face charges. It is known that the report will recommend prosecutions in some cases.
