{"id":322458,"date":"2026-02-28T21:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/322458\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T21:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:35:08","slug":"protesters-crossed-a-line-with-gaa-congress-disruption-says-jarlath-burns-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/322458\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters \u2018crossed a line\u2019 with GAA Congress disruption, says Jarlath Burns \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jarlath Burns<\/a> says anti-Allianz protesters crossed a line by forcing entry to Croke Park<\/a> and bringing GAA Congress<\/a> to a temporary halt on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Chaotic scenes erupted just before 1pm after several demonstrators, who were involved in a wider planned demonstration outside the stadium against the GAA\u2019s decision to continue sponsorship arrangements with Allianz, managed to gain access to the venue.<\/p>\n

The GAA say two stewards were injured and required medical treatment after some protesters moved from the street to inside the stadium, eventually making their way to level five of the Hogan Stand where Congress was in session.<\/p>\n

GAA Congress is disrupted by protesters against Allianz sponsorship of GAA. Video: Gordon Manning <\/p>\n

Two protesters initially entered through the back doors of the room before more spilled through at the front. Banners were held behind and in front of the top table where GAA president Burns, incoming president Derek Kent and director general Tom Ryan were seated, while shouts of \u201cAllianz Out\u201d filled the room.<\/p>\n

One large banner declaring \u201cFermanagh Gaels Against Genocide\u201d remained as a backdrop behind the top table for several minutes.<\/p>\n

Burns eventually asked the protesters to leave, remarking that they had \u2018made their point.\u2019 Some did but others remained and ultimately the GAA president was forced to adjourn for lunch.<\/p>\n

Allianz is among companies found in a report by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, to be financially complicit in Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n

In December, the GAA decided to retain its Allianz sponsorship despite calls from several county boards to terminate commercial agreements.<\/p>\n

The GAA said \u201cAllianz plc has no involvement with the IDF or corporate entities involved in the war in Gaza. Any such relationship is with a \u2018sibling or cousin company\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allianz said they have \u201cno holdings in the government bonds referenced in a report by the current UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has no relationship with Elbit Systems and does not engage in any investment or underwriting activity connected to the Middle East\u201d.<\/p>\n

Congress eventually resumed just before 2.20pm. Before returning to debating motions \u2013 Burns reopened the meeting by delivering a speech from the top table.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters confront GAA president Jarlath Burns. Photograph: Nick Elliott\/Inpho <\/p>\n

The Silverbridge native stated: \u201cI just want to say this, on the day that we made the decision based on the Ethics and Integrity Commission, it was on the 19th of December, and the 19th of December in my area is a very big date.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in 1975, Glenanne Gang came into Donnelly\u2019s Bar and murdered three people, one of whom was a good friend of mine, Michael Donnelly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I went into my car on the 19th of December 2025 and drove to the front of Donnelly\u2019s house, shop, pub, which is still there, to make a speech. Fifty years on, justice still hasn\u2019t been served for the 120 innocent Catholics who were murdered by the Glenanne in a four-year period in my area, in my community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need any lectures about what it\u2019s like to feel the pressure of illegal occupation. I don\u2019t need any lectures or people shouting in my face about what it\u2019s like to go to bed at night, fearful that somebody would barge into your bedroom and riddle you with bullets. Because that was my lived experience when I was young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking after Congress had concluded on Saturday evening, Burns elaborated on his thoughts of events earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always facilitated peaceful protests, we\u2019ve even facilitated it in some fields at half-time in some of our matches this year, even though it\u2019s against our regulations,\u201d said Burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is almost unwritten rules of engagement between peaceful protests and the allowance of peaceful protests. And I think that there was a line crossed today. Coming into our property and disrupting our Congress is unacceptable.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0GAA Congress: Motion to extend intercounty season to August withdrawnOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have members of our security team and volunteers injured today as a result of injuries sustained from people who are trying to get in, that is totally unacceptable.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I would urge people who might have been connected with the GAA, who are involved in that protest, to speak about it and to condemn it, because we have a right to carry out our Congress unfettered. We are a democratic organisation.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I would ask them to] reflect on the terrified people who were in that room, who were not used to that, who didn\u2019t come to Congress to think that they were going to be roared at and shouted at and intimidated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I would praise the restraint that was shown by our delegates. A lot of them put themselves in harm\u2019s way today to try and keep the protests out and to try and just facilitate it and maintain it. And I\u2019m very proud of everybody who was at Congress today.\u201d<\/p>\n

A GAA spokesperson said there is video footage of the incident where protesters gained entry through the main doors of the stadium on the Hogan Stand side of the ground. Security measures are to be reviewed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing but praise for our entire security team, people who I see every day when I come in here. And the security that Croke Park has will only keep what they call a decent person out,\u201d added Burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, there weren\u2019t decent people who came in here today and started roaring and shouting and trying to intimidate us into changing a democratically taken decision by the GAA.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we will review it, because we have a duty of care to all of the delegates who come, and to all of our staff and to the security team. So of course, whenever there\u2019s a breach in security, we will review our procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The demonstration in protest at the GAA\u2019s decision to maintain sponsorship arrangements with Allianz, following the recommendation of the GAA\u2019s Ethics and Integrity Commission\u2019s report, had been widely publicised in advance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous that you should even have to reiterate our support for the people of Gaza and their plight and the genocide that\u2019s gone on in Gaza,\u201d said Burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s a completely separate thing from what our association is about. We cannot be the moral guardians of what\u2019s going on around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jarlath Burns says anti-Allianz protesters crossed a line by forcing entry to Croke Park and bringing GAA Congress…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[16656,764,149431,3409,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-322458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-allianz","9":"tag-croke-park","10":"tag-gaa-congress","11":"tag-gaza-strip","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-top-news","15":"tag-top-stories","16":"tag-topnews","17":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}