Ireland Police Clear Dublin Blockade by Fuel Price Protesters After Week of Disruption

Irish police deployed hundreds of officers to clear a six-day blockade of Dublin's O'Connell Street by farmers and hauliers protesting fuel prices driven by the US-Israeli war against Iran, which has caused diesel to rise from €1.70 to €2.17 per litre and halted 20% of global oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz closure. The protests, which began Tuesday, caused nationwide fuel shortages affecting emergency services, forced delivery service DPD Ireland to suspend operations, and prompted road closures across nine counties. Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned the blockades threatened to turn oil away during a global crisis and placed the Irish army on standby, while ministers promised a substantial support package only after protesters ended their action. Healthcare officials declared the fuel shortages created unacceptable risks to patient safety as home care workers and emergency vehicles struggled to access supplies.

Fuel Blockades and Road Disruptions Across Ireland

• ▪Protesters were in place at fuel terminals in Foynes in County Limerick, at Galway Port, and at the Whitegate Oil Refinery in east Cork
• ▪Parts of the M50 north and southbound were closed due to fuel protests
• ▪Transport Infrastructure Ireland reported road closures impacting Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin
• ▪There were long queues on the M1, heading towards the border with Northern Ireland, due to protesters closing the motorway at Dundalk on Friday, with vehicles blocking both lanes at the Carlingford turnoff

Impact on Essential Services and Public Safety

• ▪Joseph Musgrave said Home and Community Care Ireland carers call around 15 to 25 ambulances on any given day nationally because they've gone to attend their client and their client needs help
• ▪The Raceside Service Station in County Tipperary received a supply of petrol and diesel on Thursday that would typically last four to five working days but ran out within seven hours
• ▪Chief Executive of Home and Community Care Ireland Joseph Musgrave said many staff who rely on cars to travel between home care appointments are struggling to access fuel supplies
• ▪A €30 cap was implemented for customers at the Raceside Service Station in County Tipperary on Friday

Causes and Context of Rising Fuel Prices

• ▪Petrol in the Republic of Ireland is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps
• ▪Some 20% of the world's oil trade has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 a litre to €2.17 on many forecourts in recent weeks