The case was dismissed on Tuesday.
Extinction Rebellion has welcomed the dismissal of a court case on Tuesday regarding the first of two criminal damage charges against 20-year-old activist Orla Murphy.
Murphy appeared at The Criminal Courts of Justice for defacing the Department of Agriculture at a protest in December 2020.
They spray-painted the phrase “it’s all for show” on the window of the building on Kildare Street which displayed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
While Murphy admitted to defacing the building, they entered a not guilty plea – contesting the criminal damage charge on the grounds that she had a lawful excuse to do so due to the government’s lack of action towards the climate crisis.
Defending their actions, Murphy said: “People are dying. We are heading for the possible extinction of the human race and instead of doing something about it our governments are putting up posters promoting recommendations they refuse to act on.”
Extinction Rebellion activists also staged a protest outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning to show support for the young activist and to highlight the government’s failure to achieve climate targets set out in The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“We stand in full solidarity with Orla today,” said an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
“Having them appear in court for less than €100 worth of damage begs the question: ‘when will our government go on trial for the loss of life they are complicit in?’ Where is their court date for the environmental targets they miss and pay fines for?
“We need to be taking the Climate Action goal seriously, and not just treating it like window decorations.
“The case being dismissed is a small victory in that Orla will not be fined or imprisoned again.”
Activist Ceara Carney, dressed as Lady Justice, held a scale with gold coins on one side and the earth on the other, which she said symbolised the government putting profit before the planet. Another activist, who was suited and masked to represent the state, lit the earth on fire.
“We’re not doing enough in our Sustainable Development Goals and we are not doing enough environmentally speaking,” Carney said.
“On one hand, the government will tell you they care about the environment and on the other, they’re just preoccupied with putting money into their pockets.”
Murphy now faces a second criminal damage charge for another protest action taken in March 2021 involving the defacing of Iveagh House.
An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson confirmed the group “will be back on these steps to support them” when the case it heard.
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