Amnesty Ireland and Civil Liberties council condemn Gardaí over North Frederick Street eviction

A number of claims of police brutality arose from Tuesday night's protest.

An Garda Síochána have been heavily criticised following the eviction of a property in central Dublin on Tuesday night by a group balaclava-clad men carrying a collection of power tools.

On Tuesday evening, the group of men – made up of private security employees, three members of An Garda Síochána, a Garda Riot Squad, a Public Order Unit, a Garda Transit Connect van and one Garda Jeep with dogs – forced their way into the property at 34 North Frederick Street using an electric saw and an angle grinder.

They then proceeded to allegedly forcibly remove several people, with one activist claiming that they committed a number of assaults.

The Department of Justice said the repossession was carried out by “a private firm acting for the owner of the premises”.

A number of members from grassroots organisation Take Back the City (TBTC) had been occupying the building – which they claim had lain vacant for up to three years prior – to protest the worsening housing crisis in Dublin for the last three weeks.

Following the occupation, TBTC claim that six people were arrested and four of them presented to hospital. Amnesty Ireland has since issued a statement regarding Tuesday night's events, raising concern around the "excessive force" shown by Gardaí members. “We urge that these events be investigated as a matter of urgency to ascertain if human rights abuses were committed, and if so, ensure appropriate action," their statement reads. Newly appointed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris broke his silence surrounding North Frederick Street on Thursday by admitting that the use of balaclavas on officers was "not correct". Deputy Commissioner of Policing and Security on Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) John Twomey also issued a public statement following the eviction, strongly criticising An Garda Síochána’s approach to policing in several areas including public order policing and the use of force. The report says that what it calls the "mindset" of An Garda Síochána must change and that Gardaí must accept the need for reform and embrace fully the adoption of a human rights-based approach. An Garda Síochána has since replied to the recommendations from the ICCL, claiming that "any ideas on how An Garda Síochána can strengthen its delivery of a human rights-based policing and security service are always welcome". "Respecting and protecting the human rights of all individuals we interact with is one of the three key policing principles that guide how we deliver our service to the public," a statement from An Garda Síochána read. Standing in solidarity with Tuesday night's injured activists, hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Dublin city centre on Wednesday night to force traffic to a standstill and delay public transport shortly after 5pm. Approximately 500 attendees moved through O’Connell Street and Parnell Square and for a time gathered outside 34 North Frederick Street and nearby 41 Belvedere Place before finishing the protest shortly after 8pm.