Garda’ will not have to vet public at Council meetings

Date Published: {J}

By Ciaran Tierney and Declan Tierney

A new protocol whereby Gardai would vet all members of the public attending meetings of Galway City Council will not be adopted as a long-term policy despite a circular issued to members of the local authority yesterday.

In an email which was sent out to Council members, officials proposed that Gardai would be ‘on duty’ outside the chamber to check the identification of all members of the public who intended to attend meetings at City Hall.

The measures were proposed in response to ugly scenes at last month’s meeting of the Council when an estimated 80 protesters staged an angry demonstration against the new €100 household charge.

“I think it is unfortunate that, because of the actions of a small group of people, we have to take up the very valuable time of Gardai by asking them to sit at the door of City Hall,” said Cllr Padraig Conneely (FG).

Cllr Catherine Connolly (Independent) said she could think of “many other ways” of deploying Gardai around the city and pointed out that people had a right to protest with dignity.

But Cllr Donal Lyons (Ind) supported the Garda vetting of those attending meetings and said Councillors had a duty to the staff at City Hall.

“There was a genuine attempt to have a meeting called off last month,” he said. “I believe when people come here they have to respect the democratically elected representatives of the people of this city.”

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) claimed that up to 15 people gained entry to the January meeting under “false pretences” after claiming they were trainee journalists and giving false names.

Cllr Tom Costello said nobody condoned what happened at the January meeting, which had to be postponed by an hour, but he felt that Garda vetting of those attending meetings would be a “bridge too far”.

The interim City Manager, Joe O’Neill, said nobody wanted to see a repeat of last month’s scenes.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.