Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 12, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 12, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIrish police cleared tractors, trucks and demonstrators from central Dublin—including O’Connell Street and the Whitegate oil refinery—after five days of fuel-price protests sparked by a more than 20% surge in diesel costs.
DUBLIN, April 12 (Reuters) - Irish police cleared tractors and trucks on Sunday that had been blocking traffic in central Dublin for five days in a protest against surging fuel prices as the government moves to limit the economic fallout from a wave of blockades.
Protesters, angered by a more than 20% rise in diesel prices since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran nL6N40S1FU, this week used tractors and trucks nL8N40R116 to block an oil refinery, two ports, a fuel terminal and a number of roads around the country.
The protests caused major transport disruption in Dublin and left about a third of the petrol stations in the country without fuel, creating what Finance Minister Simon Harris described as a "very dangerous moment" for the country.
Police on Saturday cleared the blockade nL1N40U04B from the country's only oil refinery and on Sunday said they had started an operation to clear a blockade of Galway Port.
The government has refused to negotiate with the protesters, who included farmers, drivers and contractors. But it is holding talks with agricultural and transport industry groups about measures to alleviate fuel cost hikes.
A poll in the Sunday Independent newspaper showed that 56% of voters surveyed supported the protesters, but that most supporters of the two governing parties opposed them.
(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by David Holmes)
Protesters were blocking central Dublin to express anger over surging fuel prices, particularly diesel, which have risen more than 20%.
The protests caused major transport disruption in central Dublin for five days.
An oil refinery, two ports, a fuel terminal, and several roads around the country were blocked, leaving about a third of petrol stations without fuel.
The government has refused to negotiate directly with the protesters but is holding talks with agricultural and transport industry groups.
A poll showed that 56% of voters supported the protesters, though most supporters of the governing parties opposed them.
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