“How dare you?” – Enoch Burke and family members forcibly removed from Court of Appeals

Patrick McCarry

“Absolute shame on you!”

RTÉ cameras were present at the Court of Appeals in Dublin, on Tuesday afternoon, as teacher Enoch Burke and five of his family members were forcibly removed by members of An Garda Síochána.

The events unfolded after the court rejected the appeals of Mr Burke and his representatives against injunctions granted by the High Court, last year. Those injunctions directed the teacher not to trespass at Wilson’s Hospital School in Multyfarnham, Westmeath.

Enoch Burke was in court, for the appeal hearing, with his parents Sean and Martina, sister Ammi and brothers, Isaac and Simeon.

As reported by RTÉ, Ammi Burke began to shout down appeal court President, Justice George Birmingham, when it looked as if the ruling was going against her brother. When Justice Birmingham asked gardaí to remove Ammi Burke, other family members began to cause disruptions.

That led to a short break in proceedings and when the three judges present in the court left the room for a second time, gardaí forcibly removed Ammi Burke. That led to chaotic scenes as other family members got involved, leading to more removals.

Simeon Burke, younger brother of Enoch, was removed by gardaí and carried by three members of the force to the front gate of the Four Courts. The Burke parents were then removed, followed by Enoch and Isaac, as transition year students and journalists stood back from the fray.

There were unprecedented and chaotic scenes at the Court of Appeal as six members of the Burke family were forcibly removed from the courtroom by gardaí.

It came as the Court of Appeal dismissed Enoch Burke's challenges to court orders | Read more: https://t.co/qRYdku42sn pic.twitter.com/rKQvqQ8yHY

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 7, 2023

Pure and utter pandemonium in the Court of Appeal. Ten guards called to the courtroom after judges forced to leave again. Ammi Burke removed by four officers. Enoch Burke is refusing to leave. He is actually holding onto a bench with a Garda trying to reason with him.

— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) March 7, 2023

Journalists present at the Court of Appeals received copies of the interrupted ruling, later on. The ruling stated that each of the Enoch Burke challenges to the injunctions were dismissed.