Protesters who were preventing construction on a seven-house development in Co Cork under the belief that the houses were to be offered to Ukrainian refugees have ceased their “unlawful activity” after an urgent injunction was granted against them, a judge has been told.
At a sitting of Cork Circuit Court last week, Judge Rosemary Horgan was told that protesters – some of them wrapped in the Irish tricolour and waving flags – had allegedly been intimidating construction workers at a site on the Killarney Road, Lower Codrum, Macroom.
Barrister Stephen O’Donoghue, acting on behalf of developers Portlaw Development Ltd, had sought and was granted an interim injunction against the protesters.
The injunction prevented the defendants from obstructing the plaintiff, his servant or agents entering or exiting the property. It also prohibited the protesters from threatening, intimidating or insulting people working on the site or preventing them from carrying out their duties.
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Mr O’Donoghue previously told the court that gardaí had to be called to the scene.
“One protester lay behind a construction vehicle. Serious injury could have been caused to that protester. Employees and contractors have been intimidated, threatened and abused on the presumption they are catering for future housing needs of Ukraine nationals,” Mr O’Donoghue said.
“In the past there existed five houses which were not completed. It was referred to as a ghost estate. The plan is to complete those five houses and build two further houses – prefabricated concrete houses, constructed off-site and assembled on-site.
“Protesters arrived – some of them wrapped in Irish flags and waving Irish flags. It is quite clear [from footage online] the protesters’ belief is that these houses will be used to house Ukraine nationals and they have taken issue with that.”
At a sitting of Cork Circuit Court on Thursday, Mr O’Donoghue told Judge Horgan the injunction has been a success. All alleged unlawful activity has come to a halt. However, he said that the position was that the first named defendant was taking issue with the order made against her. He stated that the woman plans to file a replying affidavit and asked that the matter be put back for a week.
The first named respondent was present and addressed the court. She said that she was shocked to be named as a person involved in alleged unlawful activity.
“I wasn’t present in the vicinity of Macroom. I wasn’t present when any of the obstruction happened,” she said.
The woman said that having viewed footage of the incident there was a female present who was the “main agitator”. She said the women in the video had a tricolour around her neck and was “screaming and shouting”.
“I am being used as a scapegoat,” she said. “My name has been plucked from a magic hat.”
She said she was “deeply offended and saddened” to be named as the instigator of such activity. She added that she had contacted three solicitors in relation to the case but that nobody had returned her calls.
When asked if she needed an adjournment of more than a week to facilitate the obtaining of legal representation the woman said that she wanted to get the matter “over and done with”.
The injunction order remains in place pending the outcome of the interlocutory application. The case will be back before the court on February 16th.