by European Civic Forum and Irish Council for Civil Liberties
In Ireland, several incidents point to a hardening of the national police force’s approach towards groups expressing solidarity with Palestine. In March 2025, protesters from the Mothers Against Genocide group were forcibly removed, arrested and were subject to degrading treatment (such as strip and cavity searches). The forcible removal and arrest of peaceful protesters was unnecessary, disproportionate and served to stifle democratic dissent. Meanwhile, a number of opposition MPs have allegedly used parliamentary privilege to make false allegations about the actions of the police, saying an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. The Minister for Justice also made similar statements. In a separate incident, a pro-Palestine protester was arrested and claims that the police acted unlawfully and violently in the course of detaining him. One arrest was made following a protest at the Westbury Hotel on 30 April, which was hosting a dinner with Gabriel Makhlouf, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland. Video footage testifies to the disproportionate use of force against protesters.
