27 March 1997 Edition
Dolphin's Barn protest
Over 100 anti-drugs protesters disrupted evening rush hour traffic in Dublin's Dolphins Barn last Friday 21 March. They were drawing attention to the continued open dealing in the area and protesting at what they describe as ``Garda inaction on the drugs crisis.'' The protest, organised by the Lower Crumlin Combined Communities Group and supported by COCAD (Coalition of Communities Against Drugs), caused a two mile tailback into the city centre.
Speaking during the protest, Sinn Féin's Dublin South Central representative Martina Kenna said, ``What is happening in Dolphins Barn is nothing short of a scandal. Over 500 addicts a day converge on the Barn to score heroin, some of these are not even into their teens and even while we protest here today we can see an addict as young as eleven hanging around. The dealing here is completely open and continues 24 hours a day every day. The Gardai, despite the public window dressing of Operation Dochas, are unable and unwilling to deal with this crisis and so local people are once again forced to take to the streets.''
During the protest a large number of Gardai stood by but, as one protester pointed out, no drug arrests were made despite the open dealing. As soon as the protest ended the Gardai moved on.
Speaking during the protest, Sinn Féin's Dublin South Central representative Martina Kenna said, ``What is happening in Dolphins Barn is nothing short of a scandal. Over 500 addicts a day converge on the Barn to score heroin, some of these are not even into their teens and even while we protest here today we can see an addict as young as eleven hanging around. The dealing here is completely open and continues 24 hours a day every day. The Gardai, despite the public window dressing of Operation Dochas, are unable and unwilling to deal with this crisis and so local people are once again forced to take to the streets.''
During the protest a large number of Gardai stood by but, as one protester pointed out, no drug arrests were made despite the open dealing. As soon as the protest ended the Gardai moved on.