More Photos of last night's March to the Park

by Joe Murphy Sun May 02, 2004 19:44

Some more photos from the right-hand side of the protest.

'Black Bloc' and others move towards final Gardai line after Grassroots and others move aside, 200 yards from the front line

The final Gardi line, showing it was a mix and not just black hooded participants

The final Gardai line again before the action

Trying to remove high camera vantage points before the onslaught on the righthand side

Final line - shortly before the switch, a couple of people in the centre (out of shot) are having a heated discussion with other Gardai but in general there is no trouble

by Joe Murphy Sun May 02, 2004 19:58

Some more pictures. At this stage a bottle and a can have been thrown in the centre of the road, not directly from the frontline, and passing over the heads of the front Gardai line.

It was clear that the riot squad were going to move in when Charlie Bird started getting excited behind the Gardai lines!

While a small exchange of views occurs in the centre of the demo, which has about 15 camermen fighting to watch, the riot squad start sneaking in from the left

Riot Squad now lined up on left flank

Riot Squad move into the right flank, at which stage the mainstream press on the rightside start deciding exit strategies

All the frontlines are now ready to switch to riot squad, just waiting for the order, which seems unrelated to actual events at the line

fuzzy - Uniformed Gardai break lines to let the riot squad in

by Joe Murphy Sun May 02, 2004 22:46

More photos, I didn't use the flash on many so apologies for the really dark nature of them - I don't have any editing software to hand at the moment to compensate.

I should mention Joe Murphy is an alias, I thought it would make a nice Irish twist to Joe Bloggs :-)

1st Water Canon moves in to join riot squad

2nd Water Canon moves in behind the 1st and the Gardai are ready to let rip

Water Canon in use for the 1st time in Ireland

I didn't take many more pics at this stage and after a while I stepped back 200 hundred yards behind the frontline where the even more absurd action of non-frontline Gardai moving into riot gear started.

While the action took place at the frontline, others chilled out further back.

by Joe Murphy Sun May 02, 2004 23:03

One last photo on Dorset Street, near the city centre on the return Journey.

For quite a while along the return route Gardai upon Gardai appeared in full and semi riot gear at each intersection or side-road. I was part of the main block moving back so I didn't see what happened to the people getting picked off further back.

I didn't see any private property damage or anything that waranted this last measure, it was just a continuation of the confrontational manner of the Gardai.

Nice to see Dublin Bus supplying buses again for the Gardai behind the Gardai at the frontline and intersections, along with inspectors, great dedication and service! There were some people carrying anti-privatisation banners relating to Dublin Bus on other marches, it just seems a bit ironic to me that people are getting battered for fighting privatisation (and other things of course) while the Bus Company looks after the baton users.

Dorset street - back of returning march.

by karen eliot Tue May 04, 2004 19:29

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by karen eliot Tue May 04, 2004 19:30

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