Opposition to widen a road continues with protestors occupying a forest at the Glen of the Downs.
Wicklow County Council granted a temporary order in the High Court restraining protesters from trespassing in the woods at the Glen of the Downs.
Despite the court order, protesters continue to camp in the area to protect the trees from being felled. Several protesters climbed trees and refused to come down as the county council began cutting down trees to improve what they claim is a dangerous stretch of road.
Council workers and a contractor moved in to the acre and a half stretch of road along the Glen of the Downs.
The council's work involves widening the road claimed to be a blackspot at a cost of £80 million. The objective is to reduce the number of accidents.
To the protesters who climbed the trees in a bid to block them, it was nothing more than sacrilege.
Around 200 trees have now been left lying on the forest floor. Protesters, who have been camping out in the woods since August, refute claims from the council that only saplings had been cut down. Many of the protesters have been living in tree houses and are determined to continue their fight to protect the trees. One protester called for a complete reassessment of the transport policy to make it sustainable.
This is our rain forest here in Ireland. This is creating the oxygen that gives us the air to be able to live.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 14 January 1993. The reporter is Paul Cunningham.
