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Two men convicted over Anglo protest

Anglo protest - Demonstration last May
Anglo protest - Demonstration last May

Two men have been convicted of breach of the peace following a protest at Anglo Irish Bank's Dublin headquarters in May last year.

The men were found guilty of using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour while roof top protestors were being removed from the St Stephen's Green premises last summer.

The demonstration involving members of the group Éirígí was over NAMA and the State bailout of Anglo Irish Bank.

The two accused men, Pádraig Ó Meiscill, 25, and John McCusher, 33, were each found to have caused a breach of the peace under the Public Order Act on 15 May last year.

Mr Ó Meiscill of Brooklands, Grange, Dunmurray, Belfast, and Mr McCusher of Amcomri Street, also in Belfast, had both denied the charge.

Judge Ann Watkin adjourned their cases at Dublin District Court for finalisation next week.

She indicated that she would fine Mr Ó Meiscill, who is a community worker, €500 and Mr McCusher, a library attendant, €750.

The court heard both men chanted slogans, shouted obscenities at gardaí and were among a group who tried to prevent a garda van leaving the scene with other protestors inside.

In their own evidence, the two accused both said that they had run to the side of the building out of concern for protestors, who were chained together and being removed from the roof top by gardaí.

Both denied using any abusive language to gardaí. But the court heard that Mr Ó Meiscill had chanted 'whose cops, bank's cops' and 'f**king pigs'.

Judge Watkin said the accused had not been entitled to behave in the way that they had while gardaí were carrying out their lawful duties.

She remarked that the accused men both lived outside the jurisdiction and were not affected by the decision to bailout Anglo.

Related cases against four other men and a woman were adjourned to dates in April and May.

Members of Éirígí staged a protest while the hearing was in progress.