‘We’re in limbo’: Fuel protesters dig in over bid for Government meeting

Protests which have resulted in nationwide traffic disruption could “heat up”, according to a spokesman involved in a blockade of Dublin’s main thoroughfare.

Protesters caused gridlock around Dublin city centre for a second day on Wednesday over rising fuel costs caused by the war in Iran.

Several tractors were parked along O’Connell Street and buses were abandoned on O’Connell Bridge, as farmers and other fuel-dependent workers blocked the busy routes.

Lines of buses were parked on the side of the city’s streets, while some of the busiest thoroughfares were empty.

Speaking to the Press Association on Wednesday evening, protest spokesman John Dallon said he hoped the dispute could be resolved through the Government committing to meeting him and two other participants.

He said: “We’re actually in pure limbo now, that’s the only way I can put it.”

He added: “We’ll be here tonight, and I’d say they’ll be here tomorrow.”

Mr Dallon said he was not an organiser and had “no bearing over” the other participants but added: “These people are not going to lie down.

“The only way they will go off of the streets here is if we send a message back to them that we have a meeting, then there’s a good chance that people will go home.

“But, I mean, if there’s no satisfaction out of the meeting, I’d say it’ll all heat up again.”

There were similar protests at more than 20 other locations across the country, protesters said, while chief executive of Fuels for Ireland Kevin McPartland said two depots in Foynes, Co Limerick, and Co Galway had been blocked by protesters.

He said there was a risk to supplies to petrol forecourts as a result.

A meeting between Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste and finance minister Simon Harris, and Minister of State and independent TD Sean Canney was held in Government Buildings on Wednesday morning.

They said they would “continue to engage” with industry representative groups and “keep the situation under review”.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan met senior gardai responsible for policing the protests and warned about “consequences for unlawful activity”.

In a statement, he said the Government was aware of the pressures caused by rising costs, but emphasised that it was essential for ports and fuel depots to remain accessible.

He said: “Democracy cannot be dictated to by an unelected group whose actions are now damaging the Irish public.

“No-one is above the law and those breaking the law should know that there are consequences for unlawful activity.”

Dublin Fire Brigade said it had faced “significant” delays and An Garda Siochana said it had recorded reports of emergency workers being delayed or unable to travel to work, with members of the public saying they were unable to attend hospital appointments.

Protesters have called for a cap on kerosene and diesel, and for the carbon tax and excise duty to be removed for an interim period.

Another spokesperson for the protest group in Dublin said demonstrators would return next Tuesday, when the Dail resumes after the Easter break.

“We will hopefully go home, but the word from other groups around the country is that if they go home today or tomorrow, they’re back next Tuesday. Government is sitting next Tuesday,” James Geoghegan said.

Around two dozen protesters stood on O’Connell Bridge on Wednesday morning as a handful of tractors remained parked on O’Connell Street overnight.

There were some tense exchanges between Dubliners walking through the city’s main thoroughfare and the protesters, with one woman telling the activists they had the fuel to drive to Dublin so they should drive home.

One protester was overheard saying they had “pedestrianised” the city centre as the Green Party had wanted.

Mr Geoghegan, a spokesman for the protesters and a contractor from Co Westmeath, said they would “not go home broke”.

“We can’t go home without a result. We simply can’t afford to go home,” he told PA.

“We came up broke and there’s no point going home broke.”

Asked about Dubliners who may be unhappy with the disruption, he said “the price of fuel is costing lives”.

He said: “They might be struggling, but do they realise what a struggle actually really is?

“We’re not blocking emergency services, we’re not blocking people going to hospital appointments or anything.

“We don’t want to be in anybody’s way or cause any trouble to anybody medically or cause an issue.”

Mr Geoghegan said fuel-price measures taken by the Government in March did not make a difference “worth talking about”.

He said: “Fine Gael and Fianna Fail needn’t go back to rural Ireland ever looking for votes again, it’s as simple as that.

“The silence of the Healy-Raes is unbelievable.

“It’s an awful pity the election is so far away, if there was election in the next six months, this would be solved last night.”

Chief executive of the Dublin Chamber Mary Rose Burke said the disruption was “placing an unfair burden on businesses and workers”.

“It is neither sustainable nor proportionate,” she said.

“The most effective way to achieve meaningful progress is through constructive dialogue.

“We are urging protesters to engage with policymakers and relevant stakeholders through established channels, where their concerns can be properly heard.”

Speaking in Dublin city centre on Wednesday afternoon, Jack Wallace, from Mullingar, said he set off at 4.30am on Tuesday to join the protest.

He described the rise in the price in diesel since the war in Iran started as “colossal” and “outrageous”.

The agricultural contractor said workers like him are “not making money now” as farmers are not able to pay them higher rates, adding: “There is no point working for nothing.”

He said the protesters would be “here as long as we can, as long as we have to be here”.