Eighteen people who are “persons of interest” in relation to the Dublin riots a year ago have been identified following a public appeal for information.
Gardaí this week released images of 99 people who were present at the riots on November 23rd last year.
Fourteen people have been removed from the public gallery after being identified and a further four were removed on Wednesday afternoon.
An Garda Síochána is stressing it should not be presumed that identification means criminal involvement in the riots.
Immigration and the rise and fall of the Irish far right in 2024
These four trends reshaped Irish politics in 2024
The year in policing: how did Garda Commissioner Drew Harris respond to the biggest challenges of 2024?
Garda may release ‘persons of interest’ photos in cases of serious disorder or looting - Commissioner
The force has asked the public to continue to provide information/nominate identification for any of the 81 “persons of interest” through the Garda website.
Members of the public can do so confidentiality if they so wish.
An Garda Síochána says those who have been identified as a “person of interest” from the published images should contact with the Garda investigation team at Store Street Garda station.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has criticised the Garda decision to release the collection of images online.
ICCL senior policy officer Olga Cronin described it as a “significant outsourcing of police work”.
She told RTÉ radio 1′s Morning Ireland programme that there would be unintended consequences. People had a right to a presumption of innocence and the right to a free trial.
“What’s happening here is members of the public en masse have been asked to look at these images and who do you think those people are?” she said.
There was a possibility that some people would take things further and what would happen if people were to take the law into their own hands, she asked. “What if the Garda accidentally put some of these people’s safety at risk?”
[ Dublin Christmas lights switch on as traders nervously optimistic about businessOpens in new window ]
Ms Cronin asked if the risks to the individuals identified in the images had been mitigated by the Garda.
“They should have done a data protection impact assessment [DPIA] which would outline the risks and steps to mitigate those risks. And we would very much welcome it if they could publish that DPIA to allay people’s concerns.”
On Wednesday a man who threw a burning box into a patrol car and attacked a migrant centre housing 50 people during the riots was jailed for 6½ years.
Declan Donaghey (28) of Williams Place Upper, Dorset Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to arson, violent disorder, and criminal damage on November 23rd, 2023.
Donaghey said he was “not a racist” but that he had a close relation in the school in Cavendish Row where there had been stabbings earlier that day. The court heard it was in fact his partner’s cousin’s child, who was uninjured, attended the school.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis