‘distasteful’ | 

Dublin man who ‘directed’ protest where effigy of King Charles was ‘beheaded’ spared jail

Gardaí said Daithi O Riain (37) was ‘directing the crowd’ during the demonstration where a flag was set ablaze after a mannequin was put in a mock-guillotine set up outside the GPO

Yesterday at 13:09

A PROTESTER has been acquitted of public order charges following a Dublin rally against the coronation of King Charles that saw a union jack burned and an effigy of the British monarch “beheaded”.

Gardaí said Daithi O Riain (37) was “directing the crowd” during the demonstration where a flag was set ablaze after a mannequin was put in a mock-guillotine set up outside the GPO.

Judge Anthony Halpin found Mr O Riain not guilty of offensive conduct and failing to comply with Garda directions, and dismissed the case.

However, he said of the protest that he found it “distasteful that some people seek to ram down the throats of others ancestral antagonisms that would best be confined to history”.

Mr O Riain, of Knock Riada, Chapelizod, Dublin had pleaded not guilty to the charges at Dublin District Court.

Garda Sergeant Mark Eccles said at 1pm on May 6 last year, he was deployed to a protest “loosely titled ‘not our kaiser, not our king’” on O’Connell Street.

“It was in relation to King Charles of the UK and the accused was MC-ing the event,” Sgt Eccles said.

He alleged there were “various statements” of anti-British rhetoric including “Brits out”.

A mock guillotine was brought out, with a mannequin or effigy of King Charles, which was beheaded at the GPO, Sgt Eccles said.

There were 60 to 80 people present and Mr O Riain was on a megaphone or bullhorn. Some three to four people who were crouched down beside him produced a union jack, which was “doused in an accelerant and lit on fire,” he said.

Up to that point, gardaí had stayed back for fear of escalating the situation, but when the flag was set ablaze it was extremely dangerous, Sgt Eccles continued.

He shouted at people to “get back or you’ll be arrested” and a number of those who had lit the flag absconded towards Henry Street.

Garda Timothy McDonnell, who arrested Mr O Riain, said the protest was against the coronation of the King of England and the accused was calling out to the crowd, “directing them”.

He said Mr O Riain failed to leave the area and was arrested.

Gda McDonnell accepted that the time between the direction being issued and the arrest was “very short” but said Mr O Riain made no attempt to leave. An arrest had to be made quickly for public safety, he said.

Defence solicitor Cian McCann said there was no evidence his client was party to the burning of the flag.

It was also up to the court to decide if burning a flag was offensive during a protest “in respect of the continued position of the six counties of Northern Ireland”.

Mr McCann said Mr O Riain was arrested 15 to 20 seconds after the direction, so he had no opportunity to comply with it.

“This was a very unpleasant incident,” Judge Halpin said. “I find that the burning of a flag is behaviour unacceptable to public decorum and I find it distasteful that some people seek to ram down the throats of others ancestral antagonisms that would best be confined to history.”

He said there was no evidence to support the offensive conduct charge against Mr O Riain and there was a “huge difference” between the two versions of events on the other charge, and dismissed both.