Several hundred people gathered in Cork and Dublin to protest public health restrictions this afternoon.
A group of around 150 arrived to the Custom House in Dublin for a rally cancelled at the last minute by Yellow Vests Ireland, and proceeded to march around the city centre.
While in Cork hundreds gathered on St Patrick's Street to hear speeches.
Gardaí say they've opened investigations into the organisers of the events, though no arrests have been made.
Planned protests
They were aware in advance of the planned protests organised on social media by “disparate groups”.
In a statement issued to breakingnews.ie, a Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí in Dublin and Cork implemented policing plans around events that took place in both cities today Saturday 1st May 2021. Gardaí were aware of events organised on social media by disparate groups.
“The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A-Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) Regulations 2021, as amended are currently in force. This places certain restrictions on individuals organising relevant events outdoors and attending relevant events. An Garda Síochána will carry out an investigation into the organisers of these events.”
Fianna Fáil Councillor Colm Kelleher says these events can only make matters worse.
Mr Kelleher told Newstalk: “I was told today that people travelled from as far as the North down to the protests in Cork, so they're obviously breaking the restrictions in relation to travelling in one county.”
Counterproductive
“It's counterproductive because these have been proven all over the world to be super-spreader events and particularly with us coming out of a prolonged lockdown, I think it's counterproductive.”
GP and former Aontú councillor Anne McCloskey travelled from Derry for the rally on Leeside, according to The Irish Times.
She claimed that the number of people dying with Covid-19 was lower than what the Government is reporting while she also attacked the media.
“In the North, we had 114 people who only had Covid on their death certificates which is only 0.003 per cent of the total population and this is pretty much true across the world.
“Your government, your government’s advisers, your media are lying to you — they are going to continue lying to you until you make them stop and the media are complicit in it — RTÉ are the virus, the media are the virus.”
The GP claimed that lockdowns were part of an attempt to create a new totalitarian world order.
“What is in store for us is a totalitarian, communist [regime]. They are going to take away your soul, your property, your rights, your freedoms, your farms, your houses, your families – this is the plan. We will be chipped and pinned.
“This disease was always about vaccination – it’s about getting you into their grid so they can control every aspect of your life but the new world order is not going to happen. As we say in Ulster, ‘tiocfaidh ár la, no surrender’.”
Three additional deaths and 569 additional Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland today.
There has now been a total of 4,906 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland along with 249,437 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
