“The language is demonising, stigmatising and labelling. This is the language of apartheid”, Mr. Flynn said. “People get demonised for a group within a group - this doesn’t present a balanced picture.” He draw a comparison with phoenix park: In Smithfield criminality and violence lead the City Council to closing down the horse faire. However nobody would dream of closing down phoenix park - despite the incidents happening there.
For him the same this is the same for the animal welfare issues: He admitted that there are problems with underfed horses that are being traded at the fair. However, the downturn of the economy in Ireland is responsible for the animal welfare issues, Councillor Flynn said: “Many horse owners around the country simply don’t have the money to feed their animals properly - not just in Smithfield.”
Councillor Anthony Connaghan said that the “by-laws were very draconian and the knee jerk reaction to deal with a problem that could be sorted with good communication”. According to him the harsh measures are the wrong approach since the vast majority of people there are law abiding people. They would not punish the small minority of criminal elements that have brought attention to the fair in recent years. “I believe this to be a retrograde step and would punish the decent law abiding citizens as well as tourists who would regularly visit the Horse Fair,” he said.
Some voices in the public debate have called for the fair to move outside of Dublin.
While councillor Bill Tormey also said that the by-laws are overly restrictive, he said that he the Horse fair may be better off somewhere else: “Kildare at a horse facility or a at a new site at the M50,” he suggested.
Emer Costello said: “While there is a long tradition of the horse-fair at Smithfield, there are a number of reasons why Smithfield is not a suitable venue. Animal welfare is one of the primary considerations.”
Likewise Councillor Dermot Lacy also said he is not convinced that Smithfield is the right place for the fair.
Mr. Flynn however said that if the fair was moved, Dublin City Council had to provide a the space at the new location. However Dublin doesn’t own a place bog enough. “There is no option to move,” he said.
