Gardai vow to smash protests as EU Presidency kicks off State’s largest policing op with €125m war chest amid ‘threats’

GARDAI will smash protests that threaten to block motorways, ports or airports to disrupt Ireland’s EU Presidency, Commissioner Justin Kelly has warned.

The biggest policing operation in the history of the State officially kicks off tomorrow as Ireland’s six month EU Presidency gets underway.

Political leaders from across the globe will jet in to Ireland over the coming months for a series of key meetings in Dublin, Wicklow, Cork and elsewhere.

The political pomp kicks off with President of the European Council Antonio Costa in town to launch the Irish Presidency at the newly refurbished Dublin Castle.

Gardai have been given a €125million security war chest to police the Presidency.

Cops have already purchased 78 new cars, 75 new motorbikes, a fixed wing jet, a bomb proof truck and anti-drone weapons with the cash.

Our gardai have also been given new close protection training to ensure that they are ready to protect VIPs who will be attending the political meetings.

Commission Justin Kelly today warned groups considering trying to disrupt the Presidency with blockade protests that they will be arrested and hauled before the courts.

Gardai have put in place new “hostile vehicle mitigation measures” to try and prevent blockade style protests such as those that locked down ports, motorways and fuel depots earlier this year.

Commissioner Kelly promised that gardai would take “robust enforcement action” against people seeking to disrupt the Presidency.

While protests will be enabled to take place, the Commissioner has advised senior officers that “control will not be ceded” when it comes to critical infrastructure such as motorways or Dublin Airport.

He said: “There’s a whole range of threats that do face us and at this stage of the presidency, we don’t know what they’re going to be in the next six months.

“But we’ve prepared extensively for a whole range of events, particularly around public order, the hybrid threat, and we have the experiences of the fuel blockades.”

Officers from foreign police forces and militaries have already arrived in Ireland to assist with the security of the EU Presidency.

A French anti aircraft navy ship has also moved into Irish waters to assist in the defence mission.

The opening event of the EU Presidency in Dublin Castle will face protests today with People Before Profit planning to lead a demonstration against “EU militarisation.”