Agreement Reached on Protests at Shelbourne

It is always good to talk and the Irish Greyhound Board and protesters at its flagship Shelbourne Park venue in Dublin have done just that.

A High Court interim injunction on protests within 50 metres of the stadium has been lifted following talks ‘on the courtroom steps’ yesterday.

The case was originally made to the Court in November when Ms Justice Reynolds granted the interim injunction imposing a 50m zone at Shelbourne Park within which zone protests could not take place.

A full hearing of the application commenced yesterday before Justice Tony O’ Connor.

Following discussions between the parties, an agreement has been reached between the parties permitting protests no nearer than 3.5 metres from either side of the main gate at the Stadium and in accordance with a protocol for the management of such protests.

“The IGB fully respects the right to protest and has accommodated protests at many of its sites,” said Irish Greyhound Board CEO Gerard Dollard.

“However such protests need to be conducted in a managed way and respect the rights of all parties particularly those who wish to enjoy and participate in the great sport of greyhound racing.”

“Today’s outcome demonstrates the goodwill between the parties and hopefully offers a basis for ongoing structured engagement between all parties.”

The protests were in support of animal rights and followed on from RTÉ’s documentary last year exposing poor practices by a small number of those operating within the sport.

The protesters accepted the right of the sport to exist and of patrons to attend without being impeded. They also agreed to tone down some of the material and the suggestions they were making.

Their costs in pursuing the lifting of the original injunction are being met by the Irish Greyhound Board.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties had been taking an interest in the case over the issue of freedom of expression. They had not reacted at the time of this article being written.