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Audio from today
Around 150 travellers protested this morning near the Auburn Roundabout, which is close to the junction of the M50 and the N3 (the Blanchardstown interchange). They came out onto the streets after the local council erected a concrete wall on Dunsink Lane, closing it off as a roadway and allowing only local access to either side of the wall. The Travellers were not consulted about the wall being built, which was done at 5am on Tuesday morning. Dunsink Lane is a back road which is near the Dunsink Dump (closed) and Elmgreen golf course.
The protest began around 8.15am when Travellers attempted to make their way towards the N3 via Dunsink Lane from their halting site. They were blocked by a cordon of Gardai, who threatened to arrest anyone who attempted to break through. Around 30 travellers were already on the N3 side of the cordon with placards saying "Traveller Rights are Human Rights" and "Consult not Insult". They were gathered in front of the entrance to a motel.
The people on the Dunsink Lane side then turned around and walked towards the M50 roundabout via the pedestrian trail alongside the Royal Canal. They were escorted by the Gardai as they walked via the Navan Road to join up with the other Travellers in front of the motel entrance.
3 younger Travellers had attempted to walk around the Garda cordon by scaling the high bridge wall. They were followed by the Gardai, and when one young boy of around 13 jumped down he was grabbed by two Gardai who threatened him with arrest but he did not seem too bothered (see above picture!). Several of the Travellers had video and still cameras with them, as they said that on previous occasions when they had no way of capturing evidence, that the Gardai had been physically aggressive towards them.
Meanwhile the group now gathered at the front of the motel entrance were engaging in a peaceful sit down protest, stating that the Gardai should be arresting the "real criminals - corrupt politicians and Garda, but you're hardly going to arrest yourselves are you?"
The Gardai attempted to force through a couple of cars towards the roundabout, but the Travellers tried to keep their sit down protest together. Here one person was arrested (he was restrained by six Gardai with his arms bent awkwardly behind his back and his head pushed into the ground - completely unneccessary) and there was a bit of pushing and shoving.
Meanwhile one of the people who had been up on the wall with a placard (see above picture) came down quietly - but was then pounced on by the Gardai, arrested and thrown into the back of a van. One Traveller with a camera was blocked taking pictures by a Garda and was warned it would be confiscated, despite other media present experiencing no intrusion or difficulties. The sit down protest continued for a short while with chanting and calls for the wall to be dismantled.
Around 9.30am the protest was beginning to wind down and the Travellers were re-grouping. They said they were going to assemble around 4pm to cause further disruption until their demands had been met, but would not reveal the location to the Gardai.