11 February 1999 Edition
Saoirse court triumph
A Belfast judge has cleared four Saoirse members who were convicted after they occupied the roof of Belfast's Waterfront Hall in a Saoirse protest two years ago.
The four were charged with trespassing and refusing to obey an RUC order to come down from the roof.
The first charge was dismissed because a security camera showed them getting onto the roof using scaffolding from a nearby construction site and a ladder to cross onto the roof. This proved that they did not enter the building and therefore they could not be charged with trespassing.
The second charge was dismissed because the Waterfront management did not give written authority for the RUC to order the protesters down.
The four were charged with trespassing and refusing to obey an RUC order to come down from the roof.
The first charge was dismissed because a security camera showed them getting onto the roof using scaffolding from a nearby construction site and a ladder to cross onto the roof. This proved that they did not enter the building and therefore they could not be charged with trespassing.
The second charge was dismissed because the Waterfront management did not give written authority for the RUC to order the protesters down.