Gardai in Dublin city centre have made a number of arrests this evening as they deal with large crowds in the area again.
During the operation, missiles were thrown at the police as the Public Order Units dispersed the crowds that included a large number of juveniles.
In a statement, Gardai said: "An Garda Síochána in Dublin South City Centre are currently dealing with large crowds including large numbers of juveniles.
"A number of public order incidents have occurred including missiles being thrown at Gardaí. Uniformed Gardaí supported by Public Order Units have dispersed crowds in a number of locations and continue to patrol the city centre. A number of arrests have been made under the Public Order Act."
Earlier this week, Dr Tony Holohan defended his recent remarks about crowds in Dublin city centre and said the scenes were "something to behold".
Last weekend, the Chief Medical Officer expressed his shock at the number of people who gathered at South Great George’s Street, Exchequer Street and South William Street.
Speaking at a recent NPHET briefing, Dr Holohan said the scenes on South William Street were like "Jones's Road on the day of an All-Ireland".
When questioned by a reporter about his tweet, the Chief Medical Officer said: "Were you there? It was something to behold. We anticipated that people would be tempted out by the good weather, but the sheer scale of South William Street. It looked like Jones's Road on the day of an All-Ireland.
"If the council had set about organising an event, they couldn't have squeezed more people in. It'd be the perfect environment for outdoor transmission. For us to highlight that wasn't a moral judgement. We have to make judgement in relation to the science about what shapes the transmission of this disease.
Following criticism after last weekend's incident, Dublin City Council has installed more toilets and bins across the city from this weekend, along with staff to maintain them.
150 portable toilets, 54 large Eurobins and 80 Barrel Bins are to be installed across the city from this June Bank Holiday weekend.
This is in addition to the 3,310 bins and 28 public toilets that are already in the city.
Aside from the scenes that Dr Holohan described, there have also been other incidents throughout the city this week where large crowds have gathered.
In St Stephen’s Green, a fence was erected around a bandstand by the Office of Public Works in order to protect the historic structure.
However, large crowds ignored the barriers that were in place as they continued to gather at the bandstand. Ultimately, the Gardai intervened and the crowds dispersed.
Speaking today, Garda Superintendant Liam Geraghty gave an update about the strategy of this weekend's policing around the country.
"An Garda Siochana continues to engage with the government and order stakeholders in order to affect government announcements to move ahead with the next stage of reopening the economy and society in line with resilience and recovery the path ahead plan, with specific continuing emphasis on outdoor activity," he said.
Geraghty adds: "It is great that once again we can all start to enjoy the fantastic outdoor spaces right around our country, but the Gardai are appealing to every person to please socialise responsibly this weekend.
"The current public health guidelines continue to be that people should socialise outdoors, but also to avoid crowded areas. Keep good social distancing, wear face coverings and continue to wash our sanitise our hands regularly. While extra facilities will be provided by local authorities, we all have a responsibility to be good citizens.
"Please demonstrate consideration for local residents, local businesses, leave our public communities clean and tidy and park legally. This weekend, Gardai across the country will put in place policing plans, with the ultimate aim to deter criminal activity and manage public safety in public spaces right across the country.
"These policing plans will primarily involve high visibility uniform patrols, supported by plainclothes patrols, public order patrols and other specialist units, where appropriate and available. Where crowds gather, the Gardai's responsibilities are preserving public order and preventing and investigating any criminal offence which may occur."
