asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he has any information to give relative to the recent murders of citizens of the Saorstát of the Jewish faith in the streets of Dublin; whether any special precautions have been taken to protect Jewish citizens from further attacks.
PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTION. - JEWISH CITIZENS MURDERED IN DUBLIN.
Mr. O'HIGGINS
Sectarian crime has not within living memory manifested itself in Dublin, and I do not believe that we are now faced with anything so horrible. I incline rather to the view that a perverted mentality wreaking a private vengeance has deliberately sought to give the crime that complexion. Investigations are proceeding energetically, and the view of the Ministry is that successful detection of crime is the most effective protection against future crime that can be afforded to all citizens.
If any individual citizen, of whatever class, creed, or party, has reason to believe that he is specially menaced, the best efforts will be made to afford him adequate protection. I feel sure that I am voicing the view of the country and of the Dáil when I say that the persecution of any religious community is utterly abhorrent and detestable, and that it is a common hope that these two crimes, so tragic and terrible in themselves, will not be found to have their roots in any general conspiracy against the community to which the deceased gentlemen belonged. That community has never been persecuted here, and all decent citizens would view with disgust, and would join in denouncing, any departure from that record.