Gardaí attend protest demanding LGBTQ+ books be removed from Dublin library

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April 07 2023 01:45 PM

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Gardaí yesterday attended a protest during which activists demanded a public library in north Co Dublin remove certain books providing information on gay and transgender issues.

A number of the protesters were allowed inside Swords Public Library by gardaí, while a counter-demonstration took place outside.

The protest against the books was organised by groups under the names of the Natural Women’s Council, the Irish Education Alliance and the Parents Rights Alliance, who claim the books, dealing with LGBTQ+ issues, are pornographic and should not be available to young readers.

Their actions mirror those being carried out by activists in the US and UK targeting library books that provide information to young LGBTQ+ people, and follow several other such protests in Ireland in recent weeks.

The event was flagged in advance on social media and led to a counter-protest organised by members of the People Before Profit political party.

Members of the counter-protest say they were “physically pushed aside” by gardaí so that protesters opposing the inclusion of certain titles in the library could be given access to the building.

   

A small number of those protesters were allowed access to the library, where they engaged with staff for a short period. They had first gathered at the Pavilions Shopping Centre at around noon.

Fingal County Council said representatives of march organisers submitted a letter to its nearby offices.

Leaflets were handed out by protesters listing six books which they said were available in libraries.

These include This Book Is Gay, about growing up as an LGBTQ+ person, by the author Juno Dawson, and the Trans Teen Survival Guide by Fox Fisher and Owl Fisher.

“Concerned men and women across the country have seen sexually explicit books in the children’s sections of our public libraries,” the leaflet said, claiming many of the books contain pornographic material that would be X-rated if seen in a film.

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Literature distributed by People Before Profit said librarians and teachers were facing “hate-filled attacks by right-wing bullies and conspiracy theorists”.

“All these people have is contempt, not concern, for young people who may be struggling with their sexuality or gender identity,” it said.

It also said the idea of library staff providing pornographic material to children was “insulting to their professionalism”.

“We had known in advance that the protest was going ahead so we gathered to counter it. First at the shopping centre and then at the offices of Fingal County Council,” said Des Hennelly of People Before Profit.

“We hadn’t expected them to be allowed into the library and I was physically pushed aside by gardaí and we were told we wouldn’t be let into the library while the protesters were in there,” he added.

The organisers of the protest opposing the books were not available for comment.

On its website, the Irish Education Alliance says it is a teacher organisation that aims to provide oversight in relation to educational matters in Ireland, on behalf of children, parents and teachers. It says it has no political or religious affiliations.

It has launched a campaign to remove books from libraries that it claims “clearly violate the Children First Act of 2015”.

As part of its campaign, it encourages parents to borrow books it deems unsuitable for 12- to 17-year-olds and then contact the person in charge of the library, report the book to the local garda station, and ask the garda to start a Pulse number on the case.

It said there have already been four cases lodged with the Gardaí in Lusk, Balbriggan, Swords and Pearse Street that were dismissed as a civil cases and not criminal ones. The group said it is contacting Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to dispute this outcome.

Staff at Swords library declined to comment on Thursday’s protest.

A statement from the Garda press office said gardaí attended the scene of demonstrations that were held in the Swords area of Dublin 11 yesterday afternoon.

“These later dispersed before 3pm. No arrests were made. The role of An Garda Síochána is to ensure peace and public order is maintained,” the statement said.