Twenty-three people were arrested this Saturday in Dublin during an anti-containment demonstration, which resulted in violence and was condemned by Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
Hundreds of people gathered for a demonstration against the COVID-19 restriction measures in a city center park, but were turned back by police.
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Among the demonstrators, who distributed leaflets with the slogan "
Let Ireland live
" and chanted "
end the confinement
", some wore clothes with the logo of the National Party, Irish far-right party.
Violence quickly erupted, with fireworks being directed at the police.
She charged the crowd on numerous occasions with batons.
Three policemen were injured, one of whom was hospitalized, police said.
Prime Minister Micheal Martin condemned this violent demonstration, which “
showed a total lack of respect for the people who made heavy sacrifices during this pandemic
”.
"
There can be no justification for this demonstration or the violence that took place,
" he added in a statement.
Justice Minister Helene McEntee said a special hearing would be organized to ensure those arrested are "
prosecuted expeditiously
".
Read also: Covid-19: facing a "black January", Ireland locks the country a little more
Ireland is currently experiencing its third lockdown to fight the coronavirus, and the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday that it would be extended until April 5.
The country deplores 4,313 deaths from Covid-19, according to the latest figures.
Ireland had faced the first two waves of the pandemic with a relatively low number of cases and deaths.
But after Christmas restrictions were eased, it saw an explosion in the number of cases, so much so that by the first week of January it had the highest infection rate in the world, according to data compiled by the Oxford University.