A District Court judge has berated anti-globalisation protesters for lacking the courage of their convictions.
Judge Gerard Haughton said people were entitled to peaceful protest, but if they broke the law to try to force their views down people's throats, he had little sympathy for the consequences.
The judge made his comments yesterday while hearing three cases of public order offences arising from an anti-globalisation demonstration outside the Burlington Hotel in Dublin last October. Clashes broke out between gardaí and demonstrators at the protest against a public-private partnership summit in the hotel.
Two defendants had the cases against them for breach of the peace under the Criminal Justice Public Order Act, 1994, dismissed. They were Mr Graham Scobie (19), a student at NUI Maynooth, and Mr Eric Timmins (20), a graduate of the same institution.
The third, Ms Marie Clifford (20), from Waterford, was fined €300 after she was found guilty of a public order offence. All three were charged with threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace or being reckless as to whether a breach of the peace might be occasioned.
Ms Clifford, a computer shop clerk in Waterford who had no previous convictions, was part of a group of between 60 to 70 demonstrators who clashed with gardaí outside the hotel entrance.
Gardaí baton-charged the crowd after it failed to disperse, and Ms Clifford was arrested as she was leaving the scene.
Garda Alan O'Sullivan said the protesters attempted to force their way into the hotel, pelted gardaí with eggs and flour and struck them with placards. The court was shown video evidence of Ms Clifford taking part in a sit-down protest, and demonstrators chanting: "We are winning, don't forget" and "Our streets, our world."
Ms Clifford said she had intended to engage in a peaceful protest and denied that she had attempted to enter the hotel, but had marched up to the entrance. She said she was some four feet from the front of the group when it advanced towards the entrance and was squashed in the middle.
Ms Clifford said that, after a "symbolic" sit-down protest, when she attempted to leave the scene, there was a spontaneous attack from gardaí and hotel security staff who kicked protesters, including herself.
Judge Haughton said if Ms Clifford had not wanted to be a part of the attempt to "effectively storm" the hotel, she would have left the crowd, by whose behaviour any reasonable member of the public would have felt threatened. While she may not have intended to cause a breach of the peace, she was reckless as to whether it would be caused.
Ms Clifford's barrister said she was concerned about the effect of a conviction on her ability to obtain visas for foreign travel.
Judge Haughton replied that he had heard "so much about symbolic protests, making a political statement. How many of those people put themselves up for election and try to convince members of the public what they are about is correct . . . instead of forcing their views and breaking the law to do it?"
Such people did not have the courage of their convictions if they were not prepared to put themselves up for election. They were entitled to peaceful protest if they wished to get a point across. If they broke the law to try to force their views down people's throats he had little sympathy for the consequences, he added.
Mr Scobie was accused in court of lunging towards a garda with his fist clenched and shouting obscenities. He claimed he was attempting to aid another demonstrator who was being manhandled by gardaí and had sustained a gash to his head.
Garda John White told the court that Mr Timmins obstructed gardaí making arrests and resisted their attempts to control the crowd. Mr Timmins denied this and said he was arrested after two gardaí pushed past him in pursuit of another protester.
In both cases, Judge Haughton said the State had had the opportunity to call other witnesses but had not and had failed to prove its case. Cases against seven others were deferred until September 20th.