Communities in Dublin’s north inner city will hold a peace procession in the area on Tuesday night with aim of showing community solidarity and appealing for an end to violence.
On Monday, Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald met with members of the community to discuss their concerns.
Anna Quigley, of the Inner City Organisation Network (ICON) told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the procession is for people in the area to support each other and to show solidarity.
“Violence leads to fear, fear isolates people. People don’t want to come out and come together. We feel it is very important that we come out and show that we support each other.
“The aim of the procession is to call on the government to respond urgently and comprehensively. That the community is saying to the people involved with the violence that the this must stop,” Ms Quigely said.
“We are not naïve, to think that they will necessarily listen to us, but it is important to get that message out there.”
Ms Quigely emphasised that the procession would be a peaceful one, and not a march.
“The levels of violence and intimidation involved in the drugs trade have increased since the marches of the past.
“It is the community showing support for each other. It is not focused on any particular people. We have always stood together, we must continue to do that,” she said.
The processions will commence with participants gathering at the four churches in the area at 7pm. These include Our Lady of Lourdes in Sean McDermott Street, St Agatha’s on North William Street, Lawrence O’Toole in Severin Place and St Mary’s in East Wall.
The groups will then walk to the monument in Buckingham Street and are urged to wear white ribbons, emphasising that it is a peaceful procession.
“The Garda Commissioner and the minister came to the area yesterday. They got to hear what the community had to say, there will be follow up.
“We need to be clear that we as a community we have been through this before. We know from experience that short term action or short term interest from the government is not going to solve this problem.
“The Minister said this is a priority for government, but it is long term actions that are going to prove that,” she said.