On Tuesday, November 10, a protest took place at Trinity College Dublin after news broke out that former US President Joe Biden was visiting with his son, Hunter. After videos of the protest circulated online, concerns were raised over the treatment of some demonstrators by Gardaí.
Joe Biden visited Dublin with his family as his son, Hunter Biden, was awarded a Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse from The Hist, one of the college’s debating societies. According to The Hist, “Biden’s recent advocacy on the state of American politics and media as well as for matters of addiction and recovery make him a commendable figure.”
Pro-Palestine protesters started to gather outside Trinity College Dublin while Biden and his family were visiting, shouting chants such as “shame on you” and “genocide Joe”. A number of Garda public order officers were present on site.
The protest quickly grew and, when the Biden family left the building, some protesters threw milk and moved towards the cars. Videos of the clash that circulated on social media show Gardaí bringing two protesters to the ground and beating them with batons, before arresting them.
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The videos sparked concerns online, with the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) releasing a statement saying: “ICCL is extremely concerned by video footage appearing to show a garda kneel on a protester’s neck or upper back, while repeatedly striking him with a baton to his neck and shoulder area.
“The baton strikes occurred as the man was already held down on the ground by the garda with the baton and a second garda,” the statement continued. “Gardaí must balance their obligation to preserve peace and public order, and to protect life and property, with their obligation to facilitate the right to peaceful protest.
“Any use of force by gardaí must be necessary and proportionate. Repeatedly striking a person already restrained raises serious questions about the necessity and proportionality of the force applied, and the lawful objective.”
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