CITY COUNCIL COMMITTED TO REMOVING OCCUPY CAMP

Date Published: 15-May-2012

City councillors expressed concern last evening, that a legal battle to remove Occupy Galway campers could cost the city more than it can afford in legal bills.

The issue of what to do about the seven-month long encampment overshadowed the start of yesterday’s council meeting at City Hall.

City Manager Joe O’Neill announced at yesterday’s meeting that the process of removing the Occupy camp from Eyre Square is now in train.

However, he refused to be drawn into any detail of what exactly this would entail at the city council meeting, which got off to a roaring start with councillors bickering over the long-standing protest camp.

Councillor Padraig Conneelly introduced a survey he said was completed by 25 businesses around the environs of Eyre Square, and said that all of the respondents wanted the camp removed.

He said the council and Gardai needed to take decisive action, as was seen with the Dame Street Occupy camp in Dublin.

Councillor Donal Lyons told the meeting that he resented the costs that would be implicated in having the camp removed.

Meanwhile, Councillor Catherine Connolly maintained a staunch defence of the encampment on Eyre Square, congratulating protesters for what she called “courage to stand up for what they believe in, in this rotten rotten country.”

The city council said it was fully committed to removing the camp, and that there was a plan in place to deal with the seven-month encampment.