A week of protests at Leinster House - Bairbre Holmes Reports

Bairbre Holmes (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman. On Newstalk, with Ciara.

SPEAKER_2 (0:08)

Now, Leinster House is a place of routine and repetition. Strict timetables and rules govern life inside and how much airtime deputies and senators get in their respective chambers. But outside on Kildare St, anyone can have their say at any time. Hundreds of protests take place outside the Billings Gates every year, with demonstrators airing their opinions on a wide variety of subjects. Bairbre Holmes spent last week camped outside, talking to different groups and demonstrators.

SPEAKER_3 (0:37)

More than 90% of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.

Bairbre Holmes (0:42)

Dubs for Palestine are one of the most regular presences outside Leinster House. The group was founded by former All Ireland winners and appears every week with placards, flags and a sound system.

They say they have protested for 135 consecutive weeks, including on Christmas Day. Why is protesting here outside Leinster House so important for you to come here week after week? Well this is something I ask myself every week. What am I doing? Why am I here? Is it making any difference? On the weeks that I feel like that, I still come along.

It's community building. It's trust.

SPEAKER_5 (1:21)

It's idea sharing.

Bairbre Holmes (1:23)

It's strengthening of my knowledge. Around 40 or 50 people attended that rally, but others can be much smaller. I spoke to one eight-year-old man holding a sign outlining his claim that he's been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. And you're sat here by yourself. How often do you come to protest outside Leinster House?

SPEAKER_2 (1:42)

Well, I'm here for the last, this is my fifth week. And I'll stay here until I get some kind of justice.

Bairbre Holmes (1:49)

And by being outside the door, what are you hoping? Are you hoping to meet a minister? Are you hoping to get more attention? What's your aim by being here?

SPEAKER_2 (1:56)

I'm trying to get attention of somebody. Like I mean, say, I know they just passed you by. I saw Micheal Mardin there twice one day.

SPEAKER_3 (2:05)

And he just put up his hand at me.

SPEAKER_2 (2:07)

But it means that that's no use to me.

Bairbre Holmes (2:09)

Protests often do attract the attention of members of the Dáil and Shannad. In particular, opposition politicians can regularly be seen standing among campaign groups.

While I was there, I came across Pather Tobin, leader of AIN2, helping to hold up a banner with his party's logo and the slogan, Keep the Triple Lock. You have a voice inside there in Leinster House. Why is it important to stand outside with a banner?

Peadar Tóibín (2:34)

So I think first of all, the eyes of the country are often on Leinster House. And you know, while we can actually attack and hold the government to account and test and challenge the government in Leinster House, sometimes it's important for people to have their say that they're not TDs, they're not senators as well. And this gives ordinary citizens an opportunity to participate in sending a message to the government. And believe it or not, when there is big public pressure in numbers outside of Leinster House, it does have an effect on the minds of the TDs inside. It can actually sharpen the minds of TDs inside when they realise that there is huge public pressure or public interest in a particular issue.

Bairbre Holmes (3:11)

So have you heard conversations inside there that have been directly impacted by protests outside here at the gates?

Peadar Tóibín (3:17)

Oh, there's no doubt, I think if there are thousands of people outside the gate on a particular issue, TDs definitely think twice about what they're doing.

Bairbre Holmes (3:25)

Wednesday is the busiest day in the Dáil and also the busiest for demonstrations, with different groups often overlapping or picking pitches on opposite sides of the gates, shouting to be heard.

However, Falun Gong protesters who gathered last week took a different approach to raise awareness of their movement. The spiritual group, which originated in China, claims practitioners there have faced persecution, something the Chinese state denies.

They hope their meditation exercises will cut through the noise. Your colleague and yourself have been sat on mats on the ground while two of your other colleagues hold a sign behind you. What is it you're doing when you're sat down?

SPEAKER_7 (4:06)

So basically we are just demonstrating the exercises of Falun Gong. There are about four exercises of Falun Gong and these four standing exercises and she is demonstrating the fifth exercises. We just want to raise the awareness to the politicians during the lunchtime when they come in and out peacefully.