Councillor 'horrified' as children kill bird with fireworks in front of her
With fireworks already being wielded “like weapons” on Dublin street in early September, calls are ramping up for “an immediate crackdown” on their illegal sale and supply in the lead-up to Halloween .
Fine Gael Councillor Gayle Ralph was horrified last night when she witnessed children as young as ten shoot and kill a bird with fireworks in Ballymun. She said the severity of the incident highlighted just how young the perpetrators can be, as shockingly young children cannot fully comprehend the dangers they are putting themselves and others in.
While driving through Ballymun with her seven year old son, Cllr Ralph witnessed a gang of children shooting fireworks at each other, cars and even at a helpless bird. “ "It was horrendous," the Cabra-Glasnevin rep said.
Cllr Ralph rang the police and waited for them to arrive. “We pulled in around the corner. They didn’t come. But, within seconds I saw the kids running off so maybe they heard a police car,” she explained.
The incident left its mark on Cllr Ralph. “I felt like I was in the scene of a film,” she said, stating she’s contacted the Garda Commissioner to outline her concerns and demand action. One of the most unnerving aspects of the incident was that the children responsible for the havoc were simply laughing at the distress they were causing.
“They were in stitches. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it start this early. We have two months of this,” she said, referencing the influx of fireworks and vandalism that occurs in the lead-up to Halloween. When Cllr Ralph came back to check on the bird she was further traumatised when she witnessed another group of children purposely driving over it with a scooter.
Cllr Ralph told Dublin Live about the illegal sale of fireworks online, as the explosive devices are being advertised on social media platforms. "They are selling buckets of them on Snapchat," she said.
She added she’s already received reports from residents’ groups about fireworks being set off in green areas across her constituency.
“It’s September 2. If children are already walking around Dublin with fireworks in their pockets, I want to know where they’re getting them,” she stated.
“Are people travelling to Northern Ireland, buying fireworks in bulk and bringing them back to sell here? Are they being advertised and sold through social media? We need to follow the supply chain.”
Cllr Ralph is calling on social media companies to “take responsibility” and to put measures in place to “identify sellers, remove that content and cooperate with Gardaí”. “Instead of spending the next eight weeks chasing teenagers around parks after they’ve set them off, and have caused serious damage, let’s go after the people supplying them,” she suggests.
“These aren't toys. Fireworks can cause devastating injuries, terrify animals, frighten residents and turn parks and greens into places people are afraid to use.
“I want an early coordinated response involving Gardaí, Dublin City Council , schools and youth services. We need targeted patrols where problems are emerging, but we also need enforcement further up the chain against those importing and selling illegal fireworks.
“It’s only the beginning of September. We have an opportunity to get ahead of this now. We shouldn't wait until the weeks around Halloween when communities are already dealing with the consequences.”
Cllr Ralph said she has written to the Commissioner and will raise the matter with Gardaí and through local community safety partnership and seek early engagement with schools and youth services. She is calling for greater scrutiny of the online sale and promotion of illegal fireworks and cooperation between Gardaí, Government and social-media platforms to disrupt supply.
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