Three protestors removed from repossessions court

Chaotic scenes in courtroom during heated exchanges

Three protestors were removed by gardaí from the September sitting of the County Registrar’s Court in Castlebar yesterday (Monday) during heated challenges to the progression of cases involving the repossession of homes.
Three supporters of the Integrity Ireland organisation were physically removed from the courtroom by gardaí while many more people in the public gallery objected to the cases which went forward.
A total of 108 cases for repossessions of houses by financial institutions were up before County Registrar Fintan Murphy with the vast majority adjourned to allow time for engagements between both sides, while there was legal argument over other cases. Many of the cases before the court involved family homes.
Solicitors acting for banks and building societies moved to request final orders for repossessions in respect of seven houses. Only one of these was granted, with a six month stay on that order as it is the primary residence of the defendant.
The day’s sitting began in bizarre fashion with a Liam Mac Coisteala reading a Papal decree to the court, which he called the ‘Supreme Directive of Pope Francis’. He referred to a quote from Pope Francis, himself quoting the Gospel of Matthew: “Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.”
“This rule points us in a clear direction,” quoted Mr Mac Coisteala.
He went on to say Pope Francis had restored the Golden Rule through his Papal Decree and ‘therefore all repossession cases must be struck out immediately’.
“Any orders that have been given are now null and void and homes must be restored to victims immediately. Church, State and Banks must enter into dialogue immediately with us the people. We are not going away until the injustices are seriously addressed,” he said, finishing to applause from some people in the public gallery.
Subsequently Colm Granahan, a supporter of Integrity Ireland told Fintan Murphy he was initiating a civil summons against Mr Murphy at the local District Court this Wednesday relating to disturbances at a previous sitting of the Registrar’s Court.
Mr Murphy rose from the bench at which stage Inspector Mandy Gaynor, one of several gardaí in the court, told protestors in the public that they were committing an offence under the Public Order Act and asked them to ‘desist’.
One protestor replied: ‘we don’t take threats from our servants’. When Mr Murphy returned to sit, Mr Granahan again said he was putting him on notice for Wednesday’s District Court.
Mr Murphy asked him to sit down and when he did not, gardaí removed Mr Granahan from the court.
Another Integrity Ireland supporter, John Gerard Barrett, requested gardaí to stop and became involved in the incident and both men were removed from the courtroom.
Gardaí and protestors were both recording the scenes.
Another case appeared where a similar case earlier in the list had been struck out due to the defendant being summonsed on the wrong date. When this did not happen in the second case, there was anger from the public gallery.
Gary Beattie questioned this and was asked to desist by a garda. When he did not, he was physically removed from the court, screaming at gardaí to let go of his knee as he was carried from the court.
Integrity Ireland state that they are a group which encourages ‘openness, transparency and justice in the institutions of the Irish State, and serving as a support network for wronged citizens’.
The County Registrar’s Court takes place on a monthly basis.