This new initiative is part of the organisation’s ongoing work to monitor the right to peaceful protest in Ireland and evolutions in the policing approach to protest.

Emily Williams, policing and justice policy officer at ICCL, said: “Over the past year, we have become increasingly concerned about An Garda Síochána’s response to peaceful protest in Ireland.

“We have received worrying information about Garda use of force in responding to protests and effecting arrests, as well as distressing testimony about degrading and inhumane treatment in custody after arrest.

“Since April this year, we have raised these concerns with the previous Garda commissioner, the current minister for justice, the Policing and Community Safety Authority and the Police Ombudsman.

“A recent report from the Irish Network of Legal Observers has further raised serious concerns about Garda compliance with human rights obligations and its own policies on the use of force and pepper spray.

“We urge anyone who has been arrested during a peaceful protest to share their experience with us. It’s really important to build an evidence base from across the country so that we can identify trends.

“Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and must never be criminalised.”

The survey asks respondents to share information about when and where they were arrested, what type of protest they were arrested at and what reason was given for their arrest, in addition to details about any use of force to effect their arrest.

If the data collected demonstrates trends in policing of protests, it could be used in ICCL’s research, reports, advocacy and communications. However, data will always be anonymised and used in aggregate analysis.

The survey is accessible on the ICCL website.