On Saturday the 12th of December eight 32CSM members from the Dublin cumann attended an anti drugs rally on O’Connell Street. The rally was organised in conjunction with COCAD and was intended to raise awareness around the issue of drug abuse ravaging working class communities. After the protest, as the 32CSM members were preparing to leave, they were approached by two detectives who began to harass some of the members present with insinuations and aggressive posturing.
One of the branch members illegally refused to identify himself as required under law and the 32CSM members began to walk away. The detective then physically accosted a sovereignty movement member and called for backup. The sovereignty movement members began to tell passers by what the branch men were doing only to be told by the detectives to stop. Refusing to do so the sovereignty movement activists were allowed to walk away but were followed again with more harassment including all eight members being searched. Having failed in their clear objective of provoking a physical confrontation the branch men resorted to childish threats.
The 32CSM wishes to highlight the ongoing harassment of its members by both the Gardai and the Special Branch. Routine and petty harassment is clearly designed to both deter people from joining and to make members lives more difficult. In the face of this regular and provocative behaviour the sovereignty movement in Dublin has refused to allow itself to be denigrated and continues its work unhindered by Free State oppression.
Beir Bua
