Latest news with #AlanLawes
The Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Councillors wear Palestine Action t-shirts in Newry as PSNI issues warning ahead of protests
TWO INDEPENDENT COUNCILLORS wore Palestine Action t-shirts at a protest in Newry last night, as the PSNI today warned it will take action against anyone seen to be supporting the group this weekend. Independent councillors Alan Lawes and Cieran Perry attended a weekly Palestinian support protest yesterday in Newry, Co Down and displayed t-shirts and posters supporting Palestine Action. Palestine Action is a UK-based protest collective and last month, a vast majority of MPs in the UK parliament backed the Labour government's move to ban the group as a terrorist organisation. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. The move to ban the organisation was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF base in Oxfordshire on 20 June, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused around £7 million (€8m) of damage . Councillor Alan Lawes of Meath County Council said his intention in showing support for Palestine Action last night was to 'expose the hypocrisy of Keir Starmer's Government in banning a non-violent direct action protest group while also supplying weapons to slaughter children in Gaza'. While the UK Government last year suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel , British Foreign Secretary David Lammy noted that this is not a 'blanket ban or an arms embargo'. Councillor Cieran Perry pictured holding the megaphone in Newry last night Cllr Cieran Perry Cllr Cieran Perry Meanwhile, Councillor Cieran Perry, Independent Group leader on Dublin City Council, said Britian is using 'draconian legislation to silence ordinary people calling out genocide'. Lawes said his action in Newry was in 'solidarity with the peaceful protesters arrested in London at the weekend in a disgraceful attempt to muzzle voices opposing the Israeli genocide'. Over 500 people were arrested in London last weekend, and their average age was 54 – some 112 of them were over 70 years old. In Belfast, a woman in her 70s was arrested last weekend for wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt. Protests are planned in Belfast and across the North this weekend and the PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally warned anyone planning to protest 'to ensure they act within the law'. He said the move to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 'has no impact on other groups' or individuals' right to protest about Gaza'. Advertisement However, he warned that 'anyone showing support for Palestine Action, including with placards or messages on clothing, may be committing an offence'. 'I would urge everyone to consider the seriousness of a prosecution under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications this could have on their future,' said McNally. While McNally said the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are 'fundamental human rights protected in law', he added that these rights are 'limited by the need to prevent and detect crime'. He said that if the PSNI 'identifies potential criminal offences' it will 'take lawful and proportionate action'. 'We may arrest and detain anyone suspected of committing an offence,' said McNally. Councillors Alan Lawes (left) and Cieran Perry Cieran Perry Cieran Perry Perry told The Journal that the PSNI warning is 'really disappointing'. 'I thought the PSNI would have had more sense, given the sensitivities in the six counties,' said Perry. 'I would have thought they would be more sensible than to try and provoke people by arresting people for simply supporting a non-violent, direct action protest group.' 'The hypocrisy of the PSNI to begin to charge people with terrorism offenses when all over loyalist areas, there is a blatant disregard for that legislation.' A Presbyterian minister, Reverend Bill Shaw, was cautioned by the PSNI last week in Belfast for wearing t-shirts in support of Palestine Action. He too accused the PSNI of double standards over an alleged failure to tackle support for proscribed paramilitary groups. He told the Irish News: 'People within the loyalist community can display UVF flags, UDA flags. 'They can march with bands, with paramilitary insignia, all of which are prescribed to organisations, and nothing happens.' Elsewhere, Perry said the arrests so far have been 'both ridiculous and dangerous' and pointed to the ages of those arrested. 'Just looking at the age profile of the people arrested, including ex-veterans and people involved in the Church, they are almost the definition of non-terrorists, by any account.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Independent Meath councillor breaks Palestine Action ban
Navan councillor Alan Lawes went to Newry on Thursday to attend the weekly Palestinian support and displayed t-shirts and posters supporting Palestine Action. Speaking to the Irish Independent before the protest, Navan councillor Alan Lawes said: 'I think it is now up to the older generation and politicians like myself to stand up.' The 62-year-old councillor added: 'We've gone through two years of protest, two years of condemning the continued atrocious actions against Palestinians, and it has gotten worse.' 'Our actions are in solidarity with the peaceful protesters arrested in London at the weekend in a disgraceful attempt to muzzle voices opposing the Israeli genocide.' Over the weekend, London's police officers arrested 522 people for breaching anti-terror laws by supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action, a group outlawed on July 5. Many of the people arrested were in their 70s. 'Our intention is to expose the hypocrisy of Kier Starmer's British Government in banning a non-violent direct action protest group while also supplying weapons to slaughter children in Gaza,' Cllr Lawes said Cllr Lawes has been active for years in supporting the people of Palestine and has organised local community protests to highlight the killings in Gaza. He has now called for an immediate ceasefire and has criticised what he called 'the deliberate starvation of children, women and men in Gaza.'
Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
256 individuals in emergency accommodation in Meath
At the July meeting of Meath County Council, Independent Councillor Alan Lawes called for improved fire safety measures across emergency accommodation facilities, as homelessness figures remain high both locally and nationally. Cllr Lawes raised concerns about the safety of residents living in temporary housing, saying: 'I am calling on Meath County Council to ensure that all emergency accommodation facilities have a current fire certificate.' A Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) is required for all new buildings—including apartments and flats—except for private houses and agricultural structures. It certifies that a building or works comply with Building Regulations and must be obtained before construction begins. In response, the council confirmed that a 'Minimum Standard for Emergency Accommodation' is currently being developed. 'If agreed, and where applicable, the need for a valid fire certificate can be included in the minimum criteria,' the council said. 'It is anticipated that the draft document will be presented at the next meeting of the Housing and Integration SPC.' According to Meath County Council's July management report, 256 individuals, including 122 children, were in emergency accommodation in the county at the end of May 2025. The report also noted that 71 families have been placed in short-term private rented accommodation through the Council's Settlement Team, while seven families are currently housed in Family Hubs. As of May, there were only nine emergency accommodation beds available in the county, spread across Trim, Navan, Athboy, and Drogheda. The council added that it is not the sole user of these facilities, as some property owners also work with neighbouring local authorities, including Louth, Fingal, Westmeath, and Kildare.
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Johnstown in Meath 'left behind' as new Navan community centre secures funding
Meath County Council's planned community centre at Cluain Adain is set to receive €400,000 under the 2025 Community Recognition Fund. In total, four projects across Meath have been awarded €696,496, as part of a national package of €17m for 212 community initiatives across the country. The scheme supports communities that have welcomed new arrivals in recent years. Senator Linda Nelson Murray welcomed the funding for Cluain Adain, but noted the ongoing demand for more community infrastructure in Navan. 'Navan is really struggling for community buildings, we don't have enough places for the elderly to go and be together, we don't have enough places for the youth to go, so the fact there is going to be a new community building built near Clauin Adain, which is a brand new housing estate, is very welcome news,' she said. 'However, I think we need more community centres; one in the Johnstown area, and one in the centre of the town.' Her call was echoed by Independent Councillor Alan Lawes, who said Johnstown has been overlooked for too long. 'Any new community centre is always welcome but people in Johnstown feel left behind. The town has about 12,000 people living in it but there's still no community centre,' said Cllr Lawes. 'We have clubs like boxing or dancing clubs with no home. All these community groups have nowhere to call home….they need somewhere to call home. Every population should have one.' Meanwhile Minister for Education and Meath East TD, Helen McEntee, also welcomed the announcement. 'This investment will empower our communities to become more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, making them better places to live, raise families, and socialise,' she said on a post on social media. Ms McEntee added: 'Congratulations to the community groups in Meath listed who have been the driving force behind the successful applications. I look forward to seeing the completed projects and the benefits they will bring to our local communities.' The four Meath projects to receive funding under the scheme are: Meath County Council's new community building in Cluain Adain (€400,000) Flexibus, Navan, for a new wheelchair-accessible bus (€146,496) Ashbourne and District Community Council CLG (€80,000) Cushinstown Athletic Club, Duleek, for facility upgrades (€70,000).
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Meath councillor calls for ban on ‘barbaric' fox hunting
Councillor Alan Lawes, who travelled to the Dáil this week to support a bill that would outlaw fox hunting in Ireland, said public opinion is shifting — even in areas where the tradition was once accepted. 'No tradition should involve causing pain and suffering to an animal,' he said. The bill, introduced by People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, seeks to amend the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 to state explicitly that 'fox hunting and related practices are banned and therefore cannot be considered as lawful hunting.' Mr Lawes added: 'It's a cruel and barbaric practice; it's a left-over from colonial times and now most people don't want to see fox hunting continue. We want it banned.' 'England has had the ban in for a couple of years and we need to do the same. This practice has no place in the 21st century.' He also confirmed plans to propose a local motion, following the example of Fingal County Council, which recently adopted a measure prohibiting hunting on council-owned land. 'There was a motion passed in Fingal to ban hunting on council land, and I'll be bringing a similar motion before Meath County Council,' he said. A Red C poll found that 77pc of the population wants fox hunting banned, including 74pc in rural areas. The Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Navan district added that not everybody in the farming or rural community supports fox hunting.
