Tractors blocking O’Connell Street in Dublin, a main artery of the capital, during a protest on Wednesday.Credit...Conor Humphries/Reuters

The Irish government promised more help on Friday for sectors affected by surging fuel prices due to the Iran war, after days of wide-scale protests and blockades caused travel chaos in Ireland.

Highways and streets were brought to a standstill, and the government had called in the Army to help clear the roads.

But, after a meeting on Friday between government officials and unions and trade groups representing farmers, truckers and other sectors at the center of the demonstrations, the government said in a statement that it had plans for a further financial support package to ease the strain. Discussions were expected to continue through the weekend and no details have been released.

The government had announced some measures to lower the burden last month, but the protesters said it wasn’t enough. The government said in a statement that it held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the demonstrations, which it said were causing “significant disruption for the public, to supply chains and vital services.” It added that the blockades had restricted access to a number of ports, preventing fuel from being distributed to service stations in some parts of Ireland and causing concern that emergency vehicles could run out of fuel.

On Friday afternoon, government officials met with more representative bodies from the agricultural, food, transport, and freight sectors for “a full and frank discussion on the growing pressures,” the government said in a statement.

The government noted that “a significant and enhanced support package” was being finalized “to alleviate the burden on impacted sectors,” and that discussions would continue over the weekend.

Groups of protesters began blocking roads on Tuesday with trucks and tractors, demanding the government do more to ease the burden of fuel costs, which have jumped in price around the world since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The protests appear to have been organized largely in messaging groups and on social media, with truckers, farmers and others reliant on fuel — especially diesel — taking part.

The average price of diesel in Ireland hit 2.11 euros per liter, the equivalent of more than $9.30 per gallon, at the start of this week, according to data compiled by the European Commission. The price of diesel has risen more than 30 percent since the start of the war in Iran.

Last month, the Irish government cut taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel and suspended a tax on home heating oil. But many protesters said the actions did not go far enough, with some demanding a cap on the cost of diesel and gasoline, while others want the tax cuts to be extended.

On Friday, trucks and buses blocked O’Connell Street Bridge in Dublin, a main artery connecting the north and south of the capital, while other protesters blocked roads connecting key ports and the country’s only oil refinery in Cork.

Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, said in an interview with The Irish Times published on Friday morning that the government was open to engaging with the protesters but only “through established negotiating channels.”

He said that further measures to ease costs could be possible through negotiations, but added, “the strikes will have to end first.”

The Irish government met with a number of unions this week, including on Monday, the day before the protests began.

Image

A long line of trucks are stopped on a multilane highway.

Vehicles blocking the motorway outside Dundalk, north of Dublin, during a protest on Thursday.Credit...Paul Faith/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Some of the most disruptive actions have taken place on the M50, the highway that encircles Dublin. It is also the main route to the country’s busiest flight hub, Dublin Airport. Some travelers stuck in traffic abandoned their taxis and buses and walked to the airport, rolling their bags along the shoulder, in an effort to make it to their flights after dozens of trucks parked on the roadway on Thursday evening.

But the protests were not just focused on the capital, with demonstrations in towns and villages across the country also causing standstills on local roads.

In the small village of Inch in County Wexford, dozens of cars lined an overpass, with protesters waving an Irish flag and cheering. Tractors blocked the on ramp to the highway, forcing frustrated motorists to turn back and find alternative routes.

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