A man has been charged in connection with an incident in Phoenix Park in which three gay men were harassed by men with knives. 

Gardaí said they arrested the man, aged in his late teens, yesterday under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act, 1997. 

He has since been charged and will appear in court tomorrow morning. 

Three gay men were reportedly ‘hunted’ by a group of six other men with knives last Monday evening. 

The group escaped but was later told there was no CCTV and there was no ability to identify the crowd. 

Investigations

Gardaí said they received an anonymous call on the night of the incident and a search of the area in Phoenix Park was conducted, but no person made themselves known to them. 

They later identified a suspect during investigations, which remain ongoing. 

Following the reports of this alleged incident, An Garda Síochána has been in contact with LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups. 

They advised anyone who has been a victim of such an incident or has direct knowledge of one should contact Gardaí. 

Rally in Phoenix Park

A rally is being held in Phoenix Park today in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community following the alleged incident.

DJ Bill Harris shared the event on social media, calling on people to “show that the queer community will not be intimidated by hate”.  

“The Pride flags that fly above the river Liffey, wrap shop fronts, hang in your workplace and across the country mean little while queer people continue to face ongoing hate and violence,” they said.  

Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward spoke to one of the men involved in the incident – who said more needs to be done to protect people.  

"They got away from them, but God knows what would have happened if they hadn't,” he said.  

"What on Earth is going on that this is still happening in Ireland in 2024? When every right-thinking member of society recognises the normality of sexual relationships between people of the same gender.”