Cabinet set to approve ban on face coverings at protests

The Cabinet is set to approve new legislation that will allow a garda to request someone wearing a face covering to remove it in certain circumstances.

If the request is met by a refusal, the individual would be committing a criminal offence and could be arrested and prosecuted.

The move would be a slight change to current laws in a situation where officers suspect masks are being worn to prevent identification in a potential offence.

It would also allow gardaí to seize the masks or coverings.

The proposed legislation is being brought to Cabinet for approval on Tuesday by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan. It was initially designed to tackle far-right protesters but will extend much further and gives gardaí a wide-ranging power based on their judgment.

However, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said it was “deeply concerned by the Government’s plan to criminalise the wearing of face coverings”. It said people may want to wear face coverings for medical or religious reasons or to protect their privacy.

The new power could also be applied to street crime, especially that being witnessed in Dublin.

Garda sources told The Irish Times that many of those crimes – including road traffic offences on scooters and motorbikes, as well as assaults and thefts – are perpetrated by young offenders wearing face coverings.

If approved by Cabinet, the general scheme of the legislation will be published followed by a pre-legislative scrutiny process. It is envisaged the legislation could be enacted as early as October.