Rioters escape justice in deal with DCC

gurramok

Spotted this article in IOS about the aftermath of a traveller riot in Dunsink Lane in '04

Almost all criminal charges laid in connection with a violent stand-off between travellers and gardai have been quietly dropped.
IOS has learned that no further action was taken in many of the cases taken arising from the Dunsink blockade, despite a dozen arrests and the seizure of an array of weaponry at halting sites in west Dublin.
Gardai moved into the area in October 2004 after Dublin City Council erected two large concrete boulders blocking off Dunsink Lane and its entrance into Finglas. The move set off three weeks of violent protests by groups of travellers.
As a solution, the concrete boulders were moved to the other end of the road as local travellers promised further protests.
However a secret deal was struck. The travellers accepted that Dunsink Lane would remain closed to the Blanchardstown end and in return, charges taken in connection with the blockade were not pursued.
The deal means that individuals arrested with harpoons, knives, high-powered ammunition for an automatic rifle, a 9mm handgun, two bows and 30 steel-tipped arrows have effectively got away scot-free.
IOS has also learned that the council agreed to remove hundreds of abandoned cars from the site, some of which were being sold for use in joyriding. But rather than charging for the service, DCC paid the travellers a fee - believed to be as high as €70 per car-before removing them.
A council source said: 'Some kind of bulk deal was agreed. It's likely that a very large sum of money would of been paid over.'
DCC is now hoping to clear the area and rehouse the travellers elsewhere but it's expected that it will pay them as much as €600,000 in disturbance money and because they have squatters rights.
A Garda source said: 'Most of the charges were quietly dropped because there was no point going to war with the travellers. It was a case of keeping the peace.'
No further raids have taken place, even though gardai beleive the halting site is a hotbed of ciminality which one garda described as 'the most lawless square mile in Ireland.'
Weapons and getaway cars have been provided for gangland killings and armed robberies, and illegal diesel, bogus dvds and cds have all been produced at Dunsink.
One traveller based there, Martin 'Ripper' Joyce, is currently facing a tax demand of €1m served on him by the Criminal Assets Bureau'

Can we all say we are from Dunsink the next time we are stopped by the Garda for breaking the law even if we were violently breaking it?! :eek:

Nightwish

woo! I used to live across the field from there! The place was a no-go area. Dodgy as hell. Thats completely ridiculous that no criminal charges are to be brought though. I mean if that was anyone else they'd be facing firearms charges and a spell in the Joy.

Celticfire

That annoys the sh*t out of me, special deals can be done, money paid over to people who have destroyed that area to buy them off, weapons charges dropped and houses given to them for free . But it's all OK as there are more penalty points to catch the real criminals.

super_furry

It probably won't win me any friends to say this, but I believe in Ireland that travellers are often above the law. They get away scot free with things that would have settled people inprissoned.

Dave!

F*cking typical! Just through the pr*cks in jail, I'm fed up with the State and the Gardaí being afraid of these scumbags! Zero tolerance por favor

super_furry wrote:

It probably won't win me any friends to say this, but I believe in Ireland that travellers are often above the law. They get away scot free with things that would have settled people inprissoned.

I think everyone in Ireland believes this. Everyone with a sense of reality anyway.

Tha Gopher

So yet again these thieving, welfare grabbing anti social scum of the earth have got away scot free. Squatters rights? Why in the fcuk should squatters have ANY rights?

In related news there is a party in Hobbes` house tonight.......

junkyard

Its obvious the Government are afraid of them and in fairness they can't win. If they go after them in a heavy-handed way you have all the do gooders up in arms about travellers rights etc.

Celticfire

junkyard wrote:

Its obvious the Government are afraid of them and in fairness they can't win. If they go after them in a heavy-handed way you have all the do gooders up in arms about travellers rights etc.

Completely agree

Giblet

Tha Gopher wrote:

In related news there is a party in Hobbes` house tonight.......

What has that got to do anything.... Explanation please.

junkyard

Just wait untill a few of these travallers go into politics.....that would be interesting to say the least. Can you imagine what they would get up to...I shudder to think.:o

billy the squid

junkyard wrote:

Just wait untill a few of these travallers go into politics.....that would be interesting to say the least. Can you imagine what they would get up to...I shudder to think.:o

Wouldn't be that different to what the settled politicians of today get up to. Charlie Haughy and P flynn and ray burke weren't travellers.

this is more of an endidtment on the justice system than it is on the travelling community.