Shields and baton charges used responding to disorder in Dublin & Galway.
The tactics used by Gardaí in Dublin and Cork over the weekend was a "necessary response" to the disorder that occurred, according to a representative body.
Shields and baton charges were used to deal with violence that erupted after large groups of young people gathered to socialise.
GRA President Frank Thornton acknowledges the professionalism and proportionality of Gardaí who will always be criticised no matter what style of policing is necessitated by the live policing environment. https://t.co/0R98dWqdQy
— GRA (@gardarep) June 7, 2021
A total of 55 arrests were made, the majority of those in the capital, while a number of Gardaí were injured and patrol cars were damaged.
Vice President of the Garda Representative Association, Brendan O'Connor, says the numbers involved in the hostilities was small:
A councillor is calling for designated public spaces for outdoor drinking.
There are controlled spaces for public drinking in places like Ohio and Vancouver.
Fianna Fáil Councillor for Galway City East Alan Cheevers, thinks it could work here.
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