Irish Network of Legal Observers Publishes First Annual Report on Policing of Protest

Mar 26 2026 Posted: 16:01 GMT

The Irish Network of Legal Observers, coordinated by Dr Illan Wall and Emily Williams at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, released their first annual report. The Network observed 70 protests around the country. While the majority of protests were policed in a human rights compliant manner, three clear issues have emerged:

1. Poor Garda awareness of relevant human rights standards
2. Gardaí misusing Section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994
3. Gardaí not wearing badge numbers

Read more in the Network's first annual report here: https://www.iccl.ie/press-release/new-legal-observers-report-policing-of-protest-2025/

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