Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Nov 2023

Vol. 1046 No. 4

Policing, Protests and Public Order: Statements

The Taoiseach

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on the dreadful events that occurred in Dublin last week - the stabbing of a woman and several schoolchildren, the far-right protest that followed, and then the riot, looting and criminal damage. We are all still coming to terms with what happened, what it means and how we might respond further. The Government and the Garda are already working on it, but we are also keen to hear feedback from the community, from colleagues here in the House, and from elsewhere.

As the House knows, our country experienced two attacks last Thursday. The first was an attack on innocent children and their care worker outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in Dublin’s city centre. It was an unthinkable act of violence, and my thoughts are with the injured children, their heroic care worker and all those who stepped in and risked their lives. As I said last week, these are all real Irish heroes, whatever their nationality. On Sunday night, I had the opportunity to meet four of them from Ireland, Brazil and France.

What transpired shortly afterwards was an attack on our society and on the rule of law. Gabhaim buíochas leis na gardaí agus leis na hoibrithe túslíne go léir as a bhfreagra misniúil ar imeachtaí na seachtaine seo caite. Mar Rialtas, beimid gan staonadh ó thaobh ár saoránaigh agus ár ndaoine a chosaint. Beidh na gardaí ar na sráideanna agus déanfaidh siad aon rud atá ag teastáil ionas go mothóidh daoine sábháilte. Agus déanfaimid cinnte go bhfuil na hacmhainní, an trealamh agus na dlíthe acu a theastaíonn chun a gcuid oibre a dhéanamh. My thanks to the gardaí and all the front-line workers for their courageous response to last week’s events and to the council workers and transport workers who were also affected and carried out the clean-up. I offer my solidarity to the workers in retail and other establishments in the area, many of whom were detained for a period of time against their will.

As a Government, we will be relentless in protecting our citizens and defending our people. Gardaí will be on the streets and will do whatever it takes to make people feel safe, and we will make sure that they have the resources, the equipment and the laws needed to do their job.

The riots on Thursday evening were shocking to us. They are not something we are used to in Ireland and not something we want to get used to and see normalised or repeated. We have to ensure that what happened on Thursday were exceptional events. We need to work ensure they never happen again. It is also important, though, to take a step back and consider the fact that, in response to a rapidly evolving situation, gardaí regained control of the streets within hours and prevented the riots from spreading beyond a confined area of the city. Over 400 members of An Garda Síochána were deployed in Dublin city centre, including over 220 public order gardaí, and 34 people were immediately arrested. An Garda Síochána has been maintaining a strong presence in the area since then, including a significant public order capacity involving dog and mounted units. Water cannon are available, if needed.

My thanks to all members of An Garda Síochána for their rapid response in difficult circumstances, particularly those who answered the call from other parts of the country. They should be commended for their response, not criticised. Policing such events is unpredictable and high risk by its nature. To the best of my knowledge, none of us in this House have much expertise of policing or riot policing. This is the reason An Garda Síochána has operational control over such matters. That is not to say that we cannot learn from what happened. The political system has an important role to play at national and local levels, and that role continues. It must be about much more than calling for heads to roll.

I have been in regular contact with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Garda Commissioner since last Thursday. I have committed, as Taoiseach, that the full weight of the State will be available in how we respond. Deputy McEntee has shown how much work she can get done as Minister for Justice, and she will be doing plenty more.

We have opened two new Garda stations in Dublin city centre - on O'Connell Street and Fitzgibbon Street - as well as a new Garda station in Dublin Port. The Garda budget is now at its highest ever - 23% higher than in 2020 when this Government came to office, standing now at €2.3 billion. Interest in joining An Garda Síochána is strong and encouraging, with between 700 and 800 new recruits entering the Garda College this year. The Opposition would like us to forget that Covid led to the closure of the Garda Training College and that we are recovering and catching up from that. Garda numbers are recovering. We expect them to stabilise this year at around 14,000 and rise again next year to about 14,500 by the end of the year. We also have over 3,000 Garda staff, which frees up sworn members for duties. We have increased the Garda training allowance by two thirds and increased the age of entry from 35 to 50 years. The retirement age will also be increased so that we can hold onto experienced officers. The Garda fleet now stands at around 3,500, up over 10% since this Government came to office, with more than 100 new vehicles on order.

When it comes to stronger laws, the Minister has doubled the maximum sentence for assault causing harm to ten years, increased the sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life and increased the sentence for assaulting a garda or emergency worker from seven years to 12 years. We will also streamline community CCTV and allow for the introduction of body-worn cameras, modernise our laws on hate crimes and incitement to hatred, introduce facial and object recognition technology and propose extending the range of offences in respect of which that technology may be used to include the offences of riot and violent disorder in a stand-alone Bill so that there is proper scrutiny.

It does not surprise me that Members of this House have called for resignations, but I do not think that is the right approach. In fact, in many ways, those who conducted the riot and damaged our city last Thursday will see it as a victory. It may even embolden them. Interfering in who gets appointed to or removed from positions such as the Garda Commissioner should not be taken lightly. It should not be taken as the normal cut and thrust of politics. It has consequences and it can be corrosive to the wider justice system and public safety. In the past few weeks, we have seen the resignation of the Chief Constable in Northern Ireland. Here in this Chamber, we have seen justice Ministers have their reputations destroyed, with the Chamber and Opposition acting as judge, jury and executioner, only for those justice Ministers to be vindicated at a later date. I do not believe that should happen again.

We know that we need to do more to make sure that people feel safer in Dublin’s inner city. We know that we have not got everything right and that a lot more needs to be done. We know that the work that is now well under way in terms of extra gardaí, better equipment and stronger laws needs to be accelerated. I will make sure that there is leadership from my office in that regard.

Above all, I believe that this is a time to support An Garda Síochána, support the Commissioner and support the Minister for Justice. It is a time to work together on behalf of the people who elected us. I do not believe it is in their interests to sow division.

Minister for Justice (Deputy Helen McEntee)

The thoughts of everyone in this House remain with the victims of the appalling attack that took place outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire last week.

Our thoughts are particularly with the young child and her carer, who intervened so bravely. Both remain in critical condition in hospital. We all wish for their full recovery, as we have been doing all weekend. We have all gone home to our own children and hugged them a little tighter since Thursday. The after-school rush is a moment of joy when children leave their classes and run out full of joy, wanting to tell their parents, minders and grandparents what they did and learned during the day. That such a peaceful, happy scene should become one of such horror has left us each and every one of us profoundly shaken. That we are even thinking about the safety of schoolchildren is a measure of the barbarity of the assault in Dublin last Thursday. I have no doubt that whoever is responsible for this will be brought to justice. I commend the emergency services on their swift response, continuing care and treatment of the victims of this attack.

We must be very clear about what followed the attack. What we saw was a group of extremists exploiting an appalling incident to wreak havoc. They disturbed the scene of the previous shocking crime and diverted Garda resources away from investigating and dealing with that crime. They were joined by opportunistic thugs, vandals and criminals, who will be dealt with as such. There is no excuse for the disgraceful scenes of violence we saw on Thursday evening. No circumstance, personal or otherwise, forces someone to loot, riot, assault a member of An Garda Síochána, damage businesses built up over years or disturb gardaí investigating the most shocking of crimes. There are no excuses.

Teachers in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, the after-school carers, those who bravely intervened, our gardaí, who restored law and order, our emergency service personnel, who worked throughout the night, our council workers, who worked throughout the night to clean up our city, our retail staff preparing for the Christmas rush, working in the shops and streets that give Dublin its unique appeal, and our business owners, who have been left absolutely devastated just as they enter the busiest time of the year, are the people who work day in and day out to make our city great. There is no excuse for trying to tear it down. We will not entertain any excuses. The thugs and criminals will be brought to justice. We will do everything we can to ensure what we witnessed on Thursday never happens again.

More than 400 members of An Garda Síochána were deployed on patrol in Dublin city centre, including front-line uniformed gardaí, non-uniformed gardaí and in excess of 250 public order gardaí. The disturbances were contained in one area of the city, although significant damage was done. We all saw what happened. I commend each and every garda on restoring order to our streets as quickly as they did and for their ongoing efforts to bring those responsible to justice.

A significant number of arrests have been made, and more than 30 people have already been before the courts. That will continue. An Garda Síochána maintained a high-visibility policing plan throughout the weekend, including through the deployment of public order units, the dog unit and the mounted unit. Thankfully, due to the diligent work of gardaí, no further scenes of chaos have unfolded.

There are, of course, understandable concerns about safety in the city, but I reassure people that order has been restored and maintained. It will be maintained. The high-visibility Garda presence on the streets – this includes the four public order units – is being and will be maintained in Dublin for the foreseeable future. Commissioner Harris and front-line gardaí have my full support and confidence. Over the weekend, I visited Garda stations in the city and the control centre at Heuston Station. I thanked gardaí and Garda staff for their work. I made it very clear that I, as Minister for Justice, the Government as a whole and society fully support them.

Gardaí are working through thousands of hours of CCTV footage to gather evidence to bring those responsible to justice. That they must use hundreds of manpower hours to do so merely highlights the need for us to give the Garda all the technology it needs. This is now about passing new laws for the sake of it. It is about giving gardaí the tools and technology they need to bring the thugs to justice.

To those who say An Garda Síochána should have seen this coming, I say not one person in this Chamber who woke up on Thursday morning could even have imagined what he or she would have been hearing about later, in the afternoon. A group of extremists cynically used what was an appalling tragedy as an incident to spark hate and a fuelled rampage.

However, as the Commissioner has said, of course Thursday night's operations will be revised and of course lessons learned where necessary. That is as it should be after every significant event. Last week, the Garda Commissioner assured members of An Garda of his support if they are required to use force and equipment to protect themselves, as appropriate. I fully support our front-line gardaí in the job they do. I want to provide even more reassurance, and that is why I have asked the Policing Authority to determine how we can further support An Garda Síochána in dealing with public order incidents. This will include the equipment they need, such as non-lethal equipment, stronger vehicles, resources, the use of the dog unit, training and powers, including the use of force, where necessary. No Garda member should have to look over their shoulder or second-guess themselves in a challenging environment where the use of force is warranted and necessary. We have to provide that clarity and we will.

I have consistently acknowledged that people have genuine concerns about safety in our city. I acknowledge there are people who do not feel safe, but I also acknowledge that Dublin is a great city. We must do more. I have been working hard to improve safety in our city centre in particular. I listen to local communities, businesses and community groups, local representatives and women when they say they do not feel safe. That is why we have invested significantly in additional resources for Dublin city centre. We have opened two new Garda stations in the north city centre, on O'Connell Street and Fitzgibbon Street. Operation Citizen was launched to provide highly visible policing across our city centre. Of course, as we gain momentum in Garda recruitment, we are sending more members to the city centre. Out of the 227 new recruits who graduated so far this year, 165 have been sent to Dublin. Since 2015, when the first garda graduated after the college had been closed due to the economic crash, the number of gardaí in the Dublin metropolitan region has increased from 3,491 to 3,742. Through successful Garda operations to tackle organised crime, the number of murders carried out by organised crime groups has fallen substantially.

I have established a new community safety partnership in the north inner city to bring everyone around the table to focus on safety. Included are businesses, Dublin City Council, education providers, the HSE, community organisations, public representatives and many others. This approach recognises safety is not just about policing. We all acknowledge that, as we must. This is the first partnership of its kind in the country, and they will be rolled out national across the country next year.

Our Garda reforms have allowed us to establish dedicated community policing teams which are operating in the city centre, again building on the really strong link gardaí have with their communities. Of course, we can and will do more. I have listened to retailers not just in Dublin but also in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Meath. I am aware of the difficulties they face in dealing with repeat offenders who steal from their shops without regard for law or livelihoods. In the coming weeks, having worked closely with retailers and An Garda, I will announce further measures to deal with this particularly difficult challenge. I have asked the Commissioner to examine what more we can do to improve high-visibility policing in Dublin as we build momentum there and in recruitment.

There is no avoiding the fact that the forced closure of the Garda College during Covid-19 impacted the recruitment process. The reality is we would now have 1,000 more gardaí if it had not closed. However, it closed for good reasons. The aim is to keep people safe. By the end of 2023, between 700 and 800 new recruits will have entered the college. Five thousand people applied to be gardaí in our last campaign, which clearly shows there is interest in becoming a garda. Interest is as strong as ever. We have budgeted for between 800 and 1,000 new gardaí next year, and a new recruitment campaign will open within weeks.

A new recruitment campaign for the Garda Reserve will also take place in early 2024, the first such recruitment campaign since 2017. There are currently just under 14,000 members throughout the country. Of course, like everyone in the House, I want to see more. I am confident that, by the end of this year, we will have a significantly stronger Garda force and by the end of next year we will have an even greater Garda force. I am also working to resolve any outstanding industrial relations issues which I hope will help serving Garda members. That is always ongoing.

The Garda budget is a record €2.3 billion in 2024, a 23% increase since I became Minister in 2020. Of course, we can do more, but it is simply not true to say we are not investing in An Garda Síochána or that we are not resourcing our gardaí. Almost every garda now has real-time access to apps and handheld devices, eliminating paperwork and allowing them to carry out their front-line duties far more efficiently. We have automatic number plate recognition in Garda vehicles, allowing for real-time identification of vehicles. Much more technology is being rolled out every day.

There are currently 3,467 vehicles in the Garda fleet, an increase of 11% just in the last three years. It is the largest fleet of cars and vans ever available and we are still adding to that. The roll-out of body-worn cameras and the expansion of community CCTV will be facilitated by legislation to pass in this House tomorrow. We will roll out body-worn cameras next year. I have asked the Commissioner to examine and make sure that is done as quickly as is physically possible.

I have also passed tough new laws. We have doubled to ten years the maximum sentence for assault causing harm. We have increased from ten years to life in prison the sentence for conspiracy to murder. We have increased from seven to 12 years the sentence for assaulting a Garda member or emergency worker. That is now the law for anybody who attacked or attempted to attack a member last week. We have passed laws to improve post-release supervision of sex offenders and to provide for electronic tagging. We have allowed access to certain communications data to protect national security and tackle serious crime. I have passed laws to provide stronger Garda powers for seizure of scramblers.

We have also been working on new laws to introduce facial recognition technology and they will be before the House in the coming months. We are criminalising adults who groom children into a life of crime. We are updating our laws on incitement to hatred and hate crime. It has never been more evident that that is needed now. We are updating powers available to gardaí to access communications on closed social media sites. I have a plan to deliver 400 more prison spaces for 620 prisoners. This year, I appointed 24 new judges to make sure our courts are operating in the most efficient and effective way possible - the largest ever increase in judicial resources. These are all key elements of my agenda, and the Government's agenda, to build stronger, safer communities.

Some of the extremists responsible for last week’s riots claim to speak for Irish people. They claim to want to speak honestly about immigration. Their ignorance blinds them to the fact that our country, once a nation of emigrants, is enriched by the many thousands of people who come here to build a better life, such as those who work in our health and emergency services and those who bravely intervened to help schoolchildren last week. These are the people who represent the best of Irish values.

However, I can do more and every one of us in this Chamber can do more to talk about the contributions migrants make to our economy, our society and our culture. Yes, we must have a fair and efficient immigration system, one where people-----

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I remind the Minister that two speakers are to come after her.

Deputy Helen McEntee

I am almost finished. Yes, we must have a fair and efficient immigration system, one where people can come and contribute, or can come and seek protection, and one where people who do not have a right to be here are asked to leave. However, this Chamber is where we as democratically elected representatives debate those issues. We cannot cede to the manipulative thugs who wreaked havoc last week. Social media companies need to do more. They need to be more proactive and socially responsible. It is not good enough for social media platforms to fail to tackle hateful content.

It has been a difficult few days, above all for the victims of the appalling attack last Thursday, for their families and their community. They are at the forefront of my mind. I reassure the House that those who contributed to and instigated the appalling violence last Thursday night will be arrested and brought to justice.

Minister for Transport (Deputy Eamon Ryan)

The events last Thursday shocked us all. I cannot recall a moment in Dublin that was so shocking. Obviously, our first thought is for the three young children who were attacked and the heroism of their carer and passers-by in a range of different roles. We must think first and foremost about the child, the carer and their families. At this moment I pray for them to have a full recovery.

The riotous behaviour did a disservice to what we should be focusing on, which was protecting the crime scene and thinking of the people who had been attacked. At times in the past there have been riots in Dublin, usually when someone came to the city, leading to the riot, or about something external we were enraged about, but this was the first time where it was about Dublin. As a Dubliner, I can say it did not speak to the city I belong to and the qualities and the decency of our people. It did show the decency and the courage of the Garda Síochána. I forever go back to the quote of the first Garda Commissioner, Michael Staines, who said that the Garda Síochána should keep the peace not by force of arms but through the confidence of the people. I think the Irish people and the people of Dublin sent out a note of gratitude to the Garda Síochána for the courageous way its members stood up to that violence against them. It is important we retain that way of policing. It is not all about force; it is about holding the law through maintaining the peace as best we can and they did it in a really courageous way.

As Minister for Transport, I recognise that Dublin Bus is as Dublin as can be and the drivers are from all over the world. I love that we still retain that tradition, that small thing, of thanking the bus driver when walking off the bus. It is something we are brought up with. That decency is at risk here by people online saying it is all about hate, division, polarisation and depiction of the others in whatever way. That is the real thing we have to protect against. We cannot allow our city to lose that quality of respect and decency, even just the way we might say "Hello" to someone if we are out and meet them. We need to protect that social aspect of the city.

The Government is committed to doing everything to make sure that is maintained. The environment we have in the city centre is an important part of how we build up communities. It is already there; Dublin has strong communities. We cannot let that go in any way. We need to work on getting integration right so we keep a sense of community. We need to keep enterprise and keep business in the city centre. Finally, we need security. If I do not feel secure walking down the street, it changes everything. The Government is absolutely committed to working together to keep those good qualities in our city.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)

As colleagues have said, across the board there has been shock and horror expressed at the injuries inflicted on small children and a brave crèche worker last Thursday afternoon. Like everyone here today, I send my best wishes to them and their families. They are at the forefront of our thoughts as we discuss what happened last Thursday here today.

I say this as somebody born and raised in Dublin. What unfolded on Thursday night was an absolute disgrace. It was wanton thuggery and violence perpetrated by a very small minority of people. They were not on the streets to legitimately protest anything. They were there to loot, to destroy, to cause harm and to serve their own selfish needs. Let us be very clear: they do not represent Dubliners nor do they represent our city. What we saw with the riots on Thursday evening was the very lowest of the low, but in response what we got was the best of the best. I am speaking about the gardaí who came from all over Dublin and all over the country to stand shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues.

I am speaking about the Dublin Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and the first responders who were first on the scene during this horrific incident, as well as those members of Phibsborough fire station who assisted in the initial response and the same crews who were attacked that evening in a despicable manner. I am speaking about the bus and taxi drivers who brought people out of harm's way. I am speaking about the Dublin City Council workers who stood up at 3 that morning to carry out the massive clean-up operation. I am speaking about the business owners and their staff who refused to lie down and got our city open again on Friday. I am speaking about the proud Dubliners who in their droves have expressed their unreserved revulsion at what happened.

Dublin is a unique city. It is an international hub. It is our national capital and the economic engine of the country. It is a special place. The awful scenes of wanton destruction last Thursday evening only serve to mar its reputation. This is something we cannot stand for. What the people of Ireland and Dubliners want is for their Government to take concrete actions, and that is what we will do. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has outlined what we are doing, what we have done and what we will continue to do. What they do not want to hear is for the capital to be disparaged. They do not want to hear it being talked down. Yet, that is what is happening here and what, unfortunately, has happened in this Chamber over the last couple of days. It took less than 24 hours after the horrific events on Thursday for the Sinn Féin leader to call for resignations and to criticise the Garda response. She reverted to form, trying to further sow division, discord and disrespect. She has a responsibility in this House, as does every single Member, to stand with our emergency services, gardaí, to work in a constructive way, and not to try to score political points or to use an awful situation to further their own political agendas. I think the Deputy needs to reflect on some of the remarks she has made over recent days. This Government is very focused on supporting our gardaí, Dubliners and this city.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We are way over time.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

We will not use horrific events such as this to try to further political agendas.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

I make my remarks as a proud Dubliner and one of the TDs who represent Dublin Central. In the aftermath of these awful events, this vicious knife attack on young children and on a childcare worker, I was actually on the scene. I do not recall seeing any of the Members opposite out and on the ground to fully appreciate the devastation that was felt at the unfolding events, as well as the clear realisation very early on that this was very ugly and that there was a very malicious cabal of people who had gathered, were working their phones and were clearly mobilising.

As I walked through the inner city, as I regularly do, I spoke to countless people who all said one thing in common. They all saw it coming. They either witnessed it with their own eyes or on social media platforms. We are now in a bizarre situation where it seems the only people who did not see this coming are the people who are actually in charge, namely, the people in leadership positions, the Minister, the Garda Commissioner and, it seems, the entire benches of the Government. You are the only people who did not see it coming. Let me tell you this: you do not have to convince anyone here, or beyond here, of the bravery of the gardaí. We saw it with our two eyes. We saw gardaí being isolated on their own. There was one big burly fellow on O’Connell Street who was beating people off him. He was isolated and in a very dangerous situation. You do not have to tell us about the bus drivers and the taxi drivers, or those who work for Dublin City Council. Bravo. They were the heroes of the piece. We know that. They stood by Dublin and they did us proud. Do you know who let us down? You let us down.

Deputies

Hear, hear.

Deputy Simon Coveney

The Deputy let us down.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

The Minister for Justice let us down.

Deputies

Hear, hear.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

The Garda Commissioner let us down.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

Hear, hear.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

The Government says it is listening to people. Maybe listen to this, because here is reality from Dublin. By the way, to people who are not from Dublin, I know this experience is about more than the city, but these events happened here, so let me start here. On any given day, you can walk from Heuston Station, you can come along the quays, you can go onto O’Connell Bridge and up onto Nassau Street, and you will not see a garda. When you turn the corner and come to this place, I bet you it is the first time you will see a uniformed garda. Equally, you can walk up O’Connell Street up to Parnell Square itself and double back onto Moore Street, go onto Mary Street and what you will see is antisocial behaviour, open drug dealing - on the hour; it is timetabled - open drug-taking, nuisance drinking, gangs hanging around, and a feeling of real menace and fear. That is not a unique event; that is every single day in the north inner city.

Do not tell me about everything you have done. You mentioned two Garda stations. For people who do not know, and some of us do, Fitzgibbon Street is not a new Garda station. Ha-ha, you closed it for more than a decade. The Garda station on O’Connell Street is desperate, with some unfortunate usually there on their own. You could literally be about to breathe your last breath out on the street and that unfortunate cannot leave the desk. Do not come in here and play a game of make-believe. All I have heard from you is fig leaf and an exercise of the most brazen arse-covering I have ever heard in this Chamber. Children got stabbed outside their school. I never thought those words would come from my lips, that that would be possible in our city, but it happened. Not alone that, the children in the community are doubly traumatised by this marauding mob rioting in our city. Control of the city centre was lost for two hours. That is what happened. I want to know what is your real response to that. What we witnessed, make no mistake, was a political failure and a wholesale abject failure in leadership. That is what is missing. I am not trying to score any points here.

Deputies

You are.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

I am representing the people who elected me, Deputy Gannon and others from our constituency and people right across the country who looked on and said it was always going to happen. Why? Because Dublin was deserted; because the Government has failed.

As for Fine Gael in government, here are the stats for you. I know you are keen on numbers, Darragh. Since 2009, you have closed 130 Garda stations. You have cut Garda numbers by 450 in Dublin. Despite all your promises about law and order, we have fewer gardaí on the beat now than we had in 2009. This is despite an explosion in our population. How is that for a review, ladies and gentlemen? Do not look wide-eyed in wonder at why people feel unsafe. That is why people are unsafe.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

You have not put forward one solution or one idea.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

It is about resourcing, it is about a proper plan and it is also about leadership, and you are not providing it.

(Interruptions).

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy McDonald, without interruption.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

That is the reason we have full confidence in An Garda Síochána and zero confidence in the Minister for Justice, the Government and, for that matter, the Garda Commissioner himself.

Deputies

Hear, hear.

An Ceann Comhairle

I call Deputy Daly.

Deputy Pa Daly

Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom labhairt mar gheall ar gach aon duine a bhí gortaithe, na leanaí, an triúr laoch sin agus na daoine a chabhraigh leo, agus laoch eile, Leanne, a bhí ag obair ar Chearnóg Parnell Déardaoin seo caite lasmuigh de Ghaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. Tá aithne agam ar an scoil sin mar bhí mo bhean chéile ag múineadh ann ar feadh deich mbliana, agus mo dheartháir chomh maith.

I would like to mention those who were directly affected last Thursday in the stabbing incident at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. They need to be given every assistance for the trauma they suffer. If any school community will show the resilience required to cope with what happened, however, déanfaidh an fhoireann in the Mhuire é sin. We saw a shining example to us of all the bravery of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and the heroics of numerous people have already been mentioned, such as those who restrained the assailant, protected the children or attempted to give them CPR. That reflects the true spirit of the city and the nation. We hope and pray for a speedy recovery for all those who have been injured. We also must commend the gardaí who showed us, as was noted before, great commitment and courage, especially the resting gardaí who made themselves available to work in spite, as they say themselves, of being under-resourced, underprotected and underappreciated.

During the summer, members of An Garda Síochána already made their opinions known about their Commissioner. Over the weekend, they raised further concerns regarding a lack of equipment, a lack of additional training and a lack of organisational support. Last week, the justice committee visited the Garda Training College in Templemore and was very impressed by the level of professionalism and also the way an ethical framework and respect for human rights are woven through all the training programmes.

There can be no naivety about the threat to public order and safety. That both fire services and gardaí were attacked a short time afterwards demonstrates the moral vacuum of those who carried out the attack, who had no regard for the children, those who were affected, the workers or their community.

The policing failings were clear from the night itself. No doubt, any review of the situation will not be positive for Garda management or the Minister. From soon after the incident, a crowd was gathering, calls were being issued on social media through messaging platforms to gather in town, attempts were being made to encroach on the crime scene, and passers-by from migrant and other backgrounds were being abused. Of course, nobody coming into work here at 9 o'clock on Thursday morning could have predicted it but, by mid-afternoon, anyone with any cop-on would have known there was going to be trouble. Questions will have to be asked as to how things escalated so quickly and why there was not a faster response. The Commissioner claimed that the events could not have been anticipated. Where was the intelligence service in mid-afternoon? What contact took place between the Commissioner, the Minister and anyone else with regard to what was going on? At what time did the Minister speak to him? We need leadership and honesty from the Government and we need credibility.

I ask the Minister not to say that there will be 1,000 extra gardaí by the end of the year because that is not going to happen. I ask her not to say that there is not a crisis in morale in An Garda Síochána or that control was not lost, because clearly it was. I ask her not to say that Templemore was closed because we heard last week that it was never closed. Recruitment may have stalled but it was not closed.

Deputy Alan Farrell

That is not true.

Deputy Pa Daly

Gardaí, particularly those who received training in Templemore, do not need to be told about their powers under the public order Act but they need to know that the organisation and the Government have their back because they feel that they do not. I ask for the Garda Reserve regulations to be implemented. We heard 20 minutes ago at the Joint Committee on Justice, where we have been calling for this for months, that An Garda Síochána will not be recruiting until at least Easter. I ask the Minister to sit with the representative bodies who have been asking for a meeting for months and to invest more in communities youth services.

Fine Gael is in denial about control being lost. It seems that its coalition partners do not agree. Fine Gael has held this Ministry for 13 years, after which time we have a larger population but fewer gardaí. Fianna Fáil's confidence and supply arrangement has enabled Fine Gael for seven years. This coalition does not inspire confidence. The situation with regard to Garda numbers has not been brought under control. The Garda Commissioner called in members from outside of Dublin, but that is another Band-Aid.

We heard today that the Government's response is more legislation and more prison spaces. This is not new legislation; it has been spoken about for months. The powers are already there under the public order Act. It is true that the prisons are packed but when rates of recidivism are so high, and nothing is being done to counter them, it is no surprise that numbers are so high. Legislation is already there to allow charges of conspiracy to incite a riot, for example, to be brought.

There has been a pattern of a lack of control around the main street of our capital. There have been failures to ensure public safety. People need to feel safe and to feel their children are safe. Emergency workers, retail workers and bus drivers need to be protected. We had hoped that the Government would listen to local businesses, to workers and their families, and to parents of children. It should also listen to the demands for greater Garda presence on the streets. However, it is clear that it is still not listening. It has reverted back to Fine Gael type, which is law and order and more legislation, which will not work. It needs to listen to communities, get to grips with the situation so that people can feel safe and protected, and ensure there is a proper response. Does anyone have confidence that the Government can rectify these problems? I do not believe so. Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and Fine Gael must reflect carefully rather than seeing the situation continue to degrade.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

Last Thursday was one of the most shocking days I have ever witnessed in my home town. I know that Deputies across the whole House will want to state their feelings strongly and express their revulsion at the heinous attack on the innocent children and their carer. Like everyone, the minute I heard the news of the horrific knife attack on small children, and on the people minding them, I was frozen to the spot with shock. I send my support and solidarity to the victims, to their families, and to the school and its community. I want to commend the courageous members of the public who put themselves in the way of danger to do everything they could to protect children. Their bravery is an inspiration and an example. It represents the true spirit of Dublin. I also commend the emergency services, paramedics, ambulance service, Dublin Fire Brigade, first responders and gardaí who helped in the immediate aftermath of this attack.

What followed next in Dublin city was a loss of control which left decent people and workers badly exposed. As darkness fell, a mob descended on the city centre with the intention of wreaking havoc. These people were hell-bent on unleashing destruction, menace and fear. As control was lost in our capital city, that is exactly what happened. The thuggery and the robbery which took place on the streets of Dublin put the public at risk, it put workers at risk, and it put gardaí, paramedics, firefighters, and public transport workers at risk. Yesterday, I attended a solidarity demonstration by workers and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to show sympathy and support for the victims of last Thursday’s attack, for those workers who were caught up in the violence and for those who cleared up after the violence. As a gathering of workers, those in attendance sent a clear message denouncing the violence and looting which took place in the city centre and paid tribute to the workers who had to deal with the repercussions. Some workers had to take unpaid leave on Friday because they were afraid to travel into the city for work. Others saw their businesses lose money on what should have been one of the busiest trading days of the year for them. In our health services, I know many migrant doctors and nurses were afraid to attend work last Friday. Over the weekend, I know some companies, including some multinationals, went fully remote to ensure that people did not have to come into the city centre out of concern for the workers.

This is the impact of the destruction which was wrought by a far-right inspired mob and of the loss of control in our city. It was obvious to most that the atmosphere in the city centre was deteriorating quickly. The idea that this was unforeseen is simply not true. Smaller scale escalations of violence have been happening in the city over the past 12 months, and indeed, since Covid-19. It is the job of the Garda Commissioner to use foresight to prevent these escalations, to use the network of intelligence and information, and to err on the side of caution to maintain control of our city. Furthermore, it is up to the Minister for Justice to ensure the Garda has the necessary staff and scope under the law to ensure the maintenance of law and order, the protection of the public, and the protection of public property and private property, and indeed to ensure Garda members can protect themselves. The Minister failed at that. Not only was this not the case last Thursday, but it has not been the case in Dublin city for some time. In August I met with workers, businesses, trade unions and business groups regarding the rise in antisocial behaviour and crime in Dublin. Workers and businesses are living in daily fear of being verbally and physically assaulted, of being robbed or of having their property damaged. They have relayed this to the Government, to Oireachtas committees and in meetings with TDs and Senators. The Minister knows and should have taken cognisance of this. This should not have come as a surprise to her and should not have been news to her because it has been building for a long time. There was no order in Dublin city. Fine Gael, as the party of law and order and of business, can no longer claim that mantle. There was no order in Dublin city for a period last Thursday and it is workers, businesses and communities which are left to count the cost of the Minister's failure.

Deputy Pearse Doherty

Ar an Déardaoin seo caite, bhí an chathair seo faoi scamall bróin. Táimid ag smaoineamh orthu siúd a gortaíodh ar Chearnóg Parnell, go háirithe ar an ngirseach agus ar a cúntóir. Is í fírinne an scéil ná gur cailleadh smacht ar an gcathair seo agus tá sé soiléir go bhfuil smacht caillte ag an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus go gcaithfidh sí éirí as.

On Thursday this city was gripped by grief. My thoughts are with those who were injured at Parnell Square and we pray for their recovery. Like others, I pay tribute to the emergency services who tended to them, those who showed great courage to protect them and the medical staff who treated them. In the hours that followed, this city was gripped by violence, destruction and fear. Those who took part in Thursday's carnival of destruction must be subject to the full rigours of the law and must pay the price for their disgraceful actions. It cannot be disputed that the situation which Dublin city centre found itself in was that it collapsed rapidly. It collapsed in preparedness and in policing, and it was a collapse in political leadership. What unfolded on Thursday was unprecedented. Our shock speaks to those facts, but the suggestion that what happened was unforeseeable and that these clouds of destruction have not been gathering for some time is deeply dishonest. Mob violence and intimidation have blighted our communities and streets before.

Two gardaí were brutally assaulted on Ballyfermot Road last November. Retailers have been warning of the rise in assaults and of antisocial behaviour against their staff. When an American tourist was attacked on Talbot Street in July, resulting in the American Embassy issuing a warning to tourists, the Minister for Justice insisted, despite all of the evidence, that Dublin was safe. People do not feel safe in this city. The Minister has been in a state of denial for some time. Thursday's events made it clear that she is now in a state of delusion. Fine Gael has made our communities less safe and more vulnerable. There are fewer gardaí on our streets and fewer Garda stations in our communities. These are the facts.

This is not restricted to Dublin; in Donegal there are fewer gardaí now than there were in 2009. Since this Government took office, garda numbers in Donegal have fallen in every single district. We need more gardaí on the street. Any attempt to deplete garda numbers in Donegal or elsewhere to cover the Government's failure in Donegal is not a solution and not acceptable.

The events on Thursday have brought shame to this city and this country. Control was lost, but the Minister and the Garda Commissioner need to be held accountable. It is clear that we need a change in leadership, and this Minister is not the person to deliver the leadership that is needed.

Deputy Martin Kenny

When I was in this Chamber last Thursday, I saw on my phone that a violent incident was occurring in Dublin city centre. Within a half an hour, it was clear that a stabbing had occurred and that young children had been injured. At that stage I thought to myself, if it turns out to be a person from abroad who has carried out this attack, the far right will go on the rampage. If I could see that, how did senior Garda management not foresee it? The reality is that a relatively small number of gardaí were put in danger last Thursday by being ill-equipped and understaffed in a dangerous and volatile situation. A very sinister atmosphere came over Dublin city. Shop assistants, bus drivers, Luas drivers and hospitality workers, particularly those workers with a different ethnic background, were all put at serious risk of injury. The irony is that some of those who showed up in their droves to riot and loot probably used the same public transport vehicles they later burnt to a cinder.

People do not feel safe in Dublin city and have not for some time. Racist abuse is something many workers in our health and transport services and across all employment sectors have been dealing with for years. This atmosphere has been generated by an organised group with a specific fascist agenda. It has most recently focused on male asylum seekers and immigrants as being dangerous and to be feared. This, unfortunately, has gained traction in many places. Let us not forget that it is a very short distance from fear to hatred and then on to people being attacked. Those who fan the flames of racial fear are also fanning the flames of racial hatred.

Gardaí have also been the target of these fascists, being described online as paedophiles and groomers and abused regularly at the racist and angry gatherings they hold. I commend the ordinary gardaí who tried to maintain the integrity of a serious crime scene while faced with serious and sustained abuse and vicious physical assaults. I also extend my solidarity to the emergency services and transport workers who came under attack last week when they tried to bring ordinary people home from work or to medical appointments or, in some circumstances, just tried to get them to safety.

Clearly, the strategy that senior gardaí have employed to deal with far-right activity has been a failure. Last Thursday, there was clear evidence of that failure. It is also evidence of the catastrophic outcome of under-resourcing and depletion of garda numbers to carry out basic policing services. We all agree that the people who are responsible for the riot are those who carried it out, and of course they have to be held accountable and jailed, but the circumstances under which this emboldened hatred and violent extremism have been allowed to develop are the responsibility of those in authority, and that is this Government, the Minister and the Garda Commissioner.

Deputy Paul Donnelly

First, our thoughts and hopes for a full recovery go out to the young child and her carer and those injured in the horrific violent and criminal acts carried out last Thursday. Our thoughts are also with the teachers and staff of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire.

Everyone who heard the news was numbed and shocked. There was deep concern and fear about what would happen afterwards. We saw on social media that right-wing racists began to whip up hate and call for violence. One well-known celebrity thug called for war on our streets.

The Minister talks about people's actions on social media, but nobody seems to want to hold, and this Government does not seem to want to hold, social media companies to the same standards as they spread hate and racism.

The violence that happened afterwards was absolutely unacceptable. It was a direct attack on our city by a cohort of people who have been stirring it up for years. The gardaí on the ground were left without adequate members, adequate resources or adequate supports. It was astounding to hear the Minister, Deputy McEntee, claim that control of the city was not lost for several hours. No person on the ground last Thursday or watching on social media believes the Minister. The evidence is overwhelming that control was lost. Garda cars were burnt and smashed, a bus worker was assaulted and dragged from his bus, which was then burnt, a Luas was destroyed, burnt, and businesses were attacked and looted. I was one of many parents who jumped in our cars to pick up our children and relatives who were in total fear and were left stranded because it was so dangerous that all public transport was withdrawn. If that is not losing control of our city, in the Minister's opinion, I do not know what the hell is.

What happened was predicted to happen, if not last Thursday then at some stage in the future. I met with Deputies O'Reilly and Daly recently on O'Connell Street and Talbot Street. Every single one of those businesses said the same thing: there was no point in calling the gardaí because they were not on the ground. They did not deal with basic thefts, only violent criminal acts. It is time for action.

Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Like many people from Dublin, I am still slightly traumatised by the events of last week. When word came through of a stabbing incident on Parnell Square, I wanted to be with my own five-year-old daughter as quickly as I possibly could. As soon as certain so-called media outlets went out of their way to reveal the nationality of this individual, I knew there was going to be trouble. We all knew. What we witnessed on Thursday evening was like seeing a family member being beaten up in front of our eyes. The next day, reeling from that, it was not in the Labour Party's mind to start calling for heads, for resignations or for people to go because at the forefront of our minds was our city, which was still recovering from an assault. We want to point the finger of prioritisation where it needs to be pointed, but we need to speak about a number of failures up until last Thursday and what we feel are failures since then.

Let us talk about the far right. Let us talk about library protests and libraries in Cork that have had to shut down because of library protests. Has there been any attempt by the Government, within the capabilities it has, to tackle that, to provide information about the genuine distribution of books within libraries and to cut those protests off at source? No. What we then had at accommodation centres around the country was vile and violent language, with people consistently saying that the only way to sort this out was to burn them out. That has been consistent over time, and that effectively did happen around the corner from here. Was there an effective tackling of that? No. They came here on the day of the opening of the Dáil in September and they interfered with Members of the Oireachtas. Now we have the pathetic sight of security barriers outside Leinster House, which looks to me like we have surrendered to them. That is what we have to look at now at the national Parliament. Those barriers need to be taken down. All the while there are celebrities such as Conor McGregor, a gobdaw, and people in this Chamber who use the words "criminality" and "immigration" in the same sentence as often as they can to get some cheap political gain for themselves. Yes, I am talking about the rural Independents and Members of the Seanad who do the exact same thing. For the love of God, would they realise that some things are more important than them winning their bloody seats?

All this is being whipped up all the time, and then there is an absolute collapse in Garda morale. We came within an inch of Garda overtime not being used for every Tuesday during October, which would have included Hallowe'en, which in turn would have absolutely destroyed the policing potential of An Garda Síochána on Hallowe'en night. We have had 116 resignations, unprecedented numbers, up to the end of October. A couple of years ago it was only 70. We will now face a doubling of that number by the end of this year, and we are not talking about early retirements. Every Garda representative organisation says there is a problem at the heart of their organisation. If they are in it, they want to leave; if they are not in it, they do not want to join; and they are resigning in unprecedented numbers, all on the Minister's watch. She had a disastrous public relations episode during the summer when it came to the issue of antisocial behaviour in Dublin city centre.

All of us knew as soon as people went out of their way - with glee - to inform us of the origin of the individual at the heart of this attack that the place was going to go up.

For anybody to suggest that what happened on Thursday night was in any way a surprise is absolutely delusional.

We heard a statement from the Minister on Saturday night that spoke about dog units, horse units and water cannons. Is she serious? We then heard a statement about facial recognition technology. Is the Minister really suggesting that any of those things are going to deal with the far right? There is an absence of a leadership campaign from the Government to dispel the lies that are going on in individual communities. Is the Government doing anything to deal with that? The Government has completely isolated the Minister for integration, who does not seem to get any support across government. It seems that the Government wants anything to do with integration and immigration to be the problem of the Minister for integration and nobody else. When all these stories about unvetted individuals and males coming into communities circulate, we do not get a build-up of correction or information to fill the vacuum left by the Government. Who fills the vacuum? The far right, the poison, does. Those people are reaching out through whatever social media outlet they can find in order to spread bile. They are getting an army and can raise it in a number of hours, which is exactly what they did on Thursday, because the Government is not tackling those people by way of information or by way of Garda numbers.

What do we need after last week? We need recognition from the Government that it has absolutely failed Dublin. My city, my Dublin, my part of the world, is dying on the watch of the Government. People cannot get teachers, houses or gardaí. The city was already dying and is now on fire on the watch of the Government because it does not get Dublin. It does not understand her. It just does not.

What I need from the Minister is recognition that she has failed and that we need a proper independent report on what happened last Thursday. If the Government wants to take the politics out of it, let us do that and have somebody independently assess what on earth happened on Thursday, how it was so predictable and how the city went on fire. The Minister said in her speech that it will not happen again. Is she out of her mind? Does she know how buoyant those people are? Does she know what happened to Deputy McDonald in East Wall last night? Does she know what happened to Deputy Gino Kenny in Clondalkin last night? Has the Minister knowledge of what happened? Those people are buoyant because they got their way. They got their spectacular and want more. If the Government does not think that what is happening with certain people with authority and who are irresponsible in places such as Rosslare or Dromahair in Leitrim, people who are still whipping up tensions all over the country, can happen again, it does not know what it is talking about. We want an independent review and report into what happened last Thursday. We want the Government to get serious about Garda numbers. If the issue is about pay and pensions, the Government should deliver pay and pension reform. The gas thing is, as we all know, if Drew Harris were to resign tomorrow, we would not get somebody to do his job. We cannot get people to fill senior positions within An Garda Síochána as it is.

It is not easy for us to say all of this. We did not reach for political soundbites on Friday when it would have been easy to do so. The city was smouldering. We are all bloody heartbroken over it. However, the Government cannot say this was not coming. It cannot say it has not been overseeing a beleaguered Garda force. Everyone has been telling the Government it is beleaguered, undermanned and under-resourced, and people want to get the hell out of the organisation. The Government cannot say that the far right has not been active in libraries, accommodation centres and in individual constituencies, and targeting Members of the Oireachtas. Does the Government know that many of us here are unsure as to whether we should speak out about the far right? We know they may come for us as well. That is how dangerous this is. Local election candidates are now worried about their addresses being made public. If the Government does not think this was coming, it does not know what it is talking about. The Government needs to wake up and realise that this threat is not going away. It does not get Dublin. The Garda force is falling apart. The far right is buoyant and the Government needs to take responsibility for that.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Simon Coveney)

I have only two minutes so I will briefly try to address a number of matters. Like everyone else, our thoughts are with a young five-year-old girl and her family. She remains in a critical but stable condition. She and others were the victims of a vicious assault last Thursday.

I commend the members of the Garda who are standing on the streets across Dublin tonight. In many cases, they were heroic last Thursday evening when trying to protect our capital city and the people within it. I also commend the members of the emergency services who came under attack when trying to protect others and keep people safe.

The Government is listening. We, like everyone else in this House, are outraged by the events that happened after that vicious assault last Thursday. The Garda assembled approximately 400 officers at relatively short notice and managed to contain rioting to certain parts of the city. It did take time to get control of the city again but those gardaí did an extraordinary job in extremely difficult circumstances. The response since then has been a significant increase in the Garda presence on the street, which is going to remain for some time, and, of course, a redoubling of efforts within the Government to increase resources for the Garda where it needs it, through the provision of equipment, technology and new legislation for where it needs enhanced powers. We will continue to work with the Garda Commissioner and work through the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to ensure everything that can be done is being done from a policing perspective to ensure people in Dublin feel safer. This is not a city that is dying and we should not reflect that sentiment in this House. This is a city that is being challenged by antisocial behaviour and thuggery, and by a far-right movement that is using very sophisticated tools and platforms to whip up hate and violence in a way to which the Government needs to respond comprehensively. We will respond from a policing, legislative and social media perspective. A lot of actions are going to come from the Government.

We in this House should be responding to what happened last week with unity rather than division. That is what the public want. They do not want the main Opposition party trying to carve out political advantage by, as they said themselves, taking out the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner. That serves no purpose and is a cynical and negative political tactic that only serves to reinforce the agenda of people who want to undermine this State.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

Hear, hear.

Deputy Simon Coveney

Instead, we should be responding with firmness, unity and honesty in terms of what we need to do now to learn lessons from last Thursday evening.

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

The vicious attack on three young children and their care worker last Thursday night was horrific. It was beyond every parent's worst nightmare and our thoughts are with the children, the woman who was attacked and their families.

As Minister for Health, I thank our health workers for what they did to care for the victims of Thursday's attack. Even for those who are used to treating very serious injuries in our hospitals, such as those I met in the emergency departments and intensive care units in the Temple Street and Mater hospitals yesterday, Thursday was a very difficult day. It was made more difficult by the vicious and racist response from some on Thursday night. Our own healthcare workers were worried about leaving our hospitals. They were worried about our hospitals being targeted. I thank the gardaí for everything they do to protect our healthcare workers and healthcare facilities. Many healthcare workers yesterday expressed their deep gratitude for the response from the Garda.

To those who would take to the streets chanting racist slogans, I say that half of our nurses are trained abroad.

Two in every five of our doctors are not from Ireland. In Temple Street, where the children were cared for, we have healthcare workers from 65 countries. Ireland is one of those 65 countries, along with Sudan, Ghana, Thailand, India, Brazil, Iran, South Africa, Malawi, Palestine; the list goes on and on and on. To every one of our international healthcare workers I want to say very clearly to you, that you are welcome in Ireland, you are valued in Ireland and we are damn lucky to have you.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)

I welcome the opportunity to speak this afternoon following the appalling events in Dublin city centre last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the brutal attack at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. But make no mistake, the looting of shops, the burning of vehicles and the attacks on gardaí had nothing to do with honouring the victims of that assault. The riot was fuelled by hate and thuggery and there are elements within our society who have come to the fore in recent times: nasty, far right agitators, so-called patriots who wrap the tricolour around bigotry and intolerance and spout their hatred on social media. There are international figures too who speak of events in Ireland about which they know nothing. I urge people not to believe everything the see, read and hear on social media. Question everything. Seek facts and not lies or distortion of the truth. Do not let liars and thugs shape the narrative. It is worrying that, as the Irish Independent reports today, far-right activists were organising protests through social media within an hour of last Thursday’s stabbing attack. It beggars belief that any platform would allow a minority like this to foster hatred. The companies facilitating this must take their responsibilities as publishers more seriously like most of our Irish print, broadcast and online media do. They must stamp out disinformation and serve the common good.

The Minister for Justice and the Commissioner have my and the Government’s full support. They, and the ordinary members of An Garda Síochána and the emergency services who kept us safe last week, also have the support of most people across our shared island. The Government will not be found wanting in our response and I urge Deputies in this Chamber today to support these efforts and not to help sow further division.

An Ceann Comhairle

There are four further contributors and only five minutes remaining.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

Our response to the events last Thursday will define us as a nation. My thoughts and prayers, like those of all others, are with the victims of the attack on Parnell Street, the three children and the care worker. We express our appreciation to all who intervened, to the gardaí, emergency services and others. Some commentators are saying that this is not us but it is time we had a difficult conversation about these issues. I know many friends from African countries who have felt and experienced racist incidents over many years in this country. The representation of minorities is all too small in our councils and our Dáil Chamber. There is an important role for the Electoral Commission in this regard.

Then there is the acceptable discrimination of Travellers in our country. We need to look at issues around diversity of our gardaí as well. We should look at something that has been successful in my own community, namely local integration forums, to support and deepen integration at a local level. An Coimisiún Toghcháin has a role tackling disinformation and the promotion and awareness and support for minority candidate in the upcoming elections is important.

We once took our democracy for granted and we thought we were safe here but we were wrong. We must fight really hard collectively to protect it from the far right. Billy Bragg, writing about the rise of the far right in the UK, said:

we need to challenge the Right's monopoly on patriotism - not by proclaiming our blind loyalty to our country, right or wrong, but by developing a narrative which explains how we all came to be here together in this place.

I commend the work of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Government. What we require in this House is unity of purpose around this issue. That is critically important.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Peter Burke)

First, our thoughts and prayers are with the young child in hospital, their carer and all the staff at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. It is so important that they have our support at this very difficult time after what was a horrific attack on innocence. It is also very important that we do not conflate the events that happened later that evening and the anarchy we saw unfold in Dublin city. Attacks on An Garda Síochána will not be tolerated, nor will those on our first responders, local authority workers and so many of our emergency workers who were trying to protect a crime scene and trying to ensure that the perpetrator of this crime was brought to justice. Their lives were put in danger by these anarchists. Justice will be served on all those who attacked public infrastructure and businesses during a very important time of the year. It is also very important that we acknowledge the efforts of our first responders.

On the wider debate, it is so important that we remember that we are a far more resilient and a stronger country because of migration. Look at our public services, hospitals and hospitality. Look at our transport services. They are all supported by foreign nationals. They are the cornerstone of many different areas. The Minister for Health pointed out how there are 65 different nationalities caring for that young child in Temple Street. That is the cornerstone of what it is to be Irish. That is our response and what it means to live in an inclusive society.

An Ceann Comhairle

I call the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. There are just two over minutes remaining.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Martin Heydon)

Like so many around the country my thoughts are with the young children and their crèche worker who were heinously attacked last Thursday on Parnell Square. A series of menacing actors seized on these tragic incidents to sow hate and division under a guise of concern. To see Opposition parties like Sinn Féin, instead of providing leadership, try to feed into that division and score political points is sickening. Not one solution was proposed by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald in her contribution this afternoon. There was just an attempt to convince people that Sinn Féin is somehow a different party to that which up until very recently celebrated those criminals who previously attacked and even murdered members of An Garda Síochána. Shame on Sinn Féin which sent out its representatives onto national media over the weekend calling for our Minister for Justice to be “taken out”. Language matters. Sinn Féin knows that all too well. The day we take advice from Sinn Féin on who is over An Garda Síochána will be a very sad day for this country.

Deputy Ó Ríordáin spoke about the attackers being buoyant. I respectfully suggest that some of the political point-scoring and the division in the Chamber today may well make them more buoyant this evening. There can be no justification for the actions of those involved in the lead up to, during or the aftermath of what we saw on Thursday. That is why I support the Government and the strong response of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to strengthen the hand of the Gardaí to deal with these law breakers so that anyone who thinks they can join a hoard or attack a garda will know that the gardaí have bodycams and they will be identified and so that anyone who thinks they can join a mob and terrorise the streets will know that through facial recognition technology, CCTV footage will be scoured and those responsible will get a knock on the door to answer for their actions. Anyone who thinks they can join in the mindless violence and assault of a member of An Garda Síochána or an emergency worker will know they face 12 years behind bars for their actions. If any thug or group thinks they are above the law based on any ideology, creed, cause or identity, they are severely mistaken. Their actions do not represent the values of our country or those who live and work here. We stand united against the forces of chaos and division and we say not in our name.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Barry Cowen, briefly.

Deputy Barry Cowen

Like many others here, I was shocked, deflated and almost despairing when witnessing events unfold last week after the terrible attack on innocent children earlier that day. Our ongoing thoughts and prayers are for the victims, their families and the school community. Thanks and solidarity are due to An Garda Síochána and the emergency services for their bravery and commitment in their response. I implore the Government to fast-track technology, equipment and relevant legislation as soon as possible – in days rather than weeks – to respond to the needs of An Garda Síochána.

An Ceann Comhairle

Thank you, Deputy.

Deputy Barry Cowen

If I could continue, please. I thought I had a minute and a half. I had hoped for more time for all Members to contribute to this debate to denounce unreservedly the lawlessness that shamed our nation. All Members need to support the rule of law and insist that agreed protocols and procedures associated with our obligations and commitments to international agreements to assist those fleeing war and persecution are afforded a welcome synonymous with the céad mile fáilte that we have world wide. Our ability to meet, afford and answer those commitments should not be determined by hooligans and louts-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Thank you, Deputy.

Deputy Barry Cowen

----or traitors, but are agreed democratically here, in the EU and the UN.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Ó Snodaigh is sharing with Deputy Mitchell.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom gach rath agus biseach a leathadh orthu siúd a sádh ar chéimeanna Ghaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire ar Chearnóg Pharnell ar an Déardaoin, go háirithe an cailín óg atá fós go dona tinn san ospidéal. Cosúil le gach duine eile a labhair faoin tragóid uafás a tharla, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a leathadh orthu siúd a léim isteach go cróga chun na páistí agus eile a chosaint agus chun cóir leighis a chuir orthu láithreach.

Dóibh siúd a d’úsáid ócáid na tragóide seo chun fuath agus alltacht chíréibeach a ghríosú agus a mhúscailt i gcoinne eachtrannaigh, mo ghráinn libh. Le bhur loitiméireacht ar fad, tá sibh tar éis poist a chuir i mbaol, gardaí a ghortú, córas taistil poiblí a stopadh agus damáiste gan áireamh a dhéanamh ar ár gcáil go hidirnáisiúnta gur daoine flaithiúla, oscailte agus fáilteacha iad sliocht na nGael.

Tá buíochas ag dul do bhaill an Gharda Síochána, ar éirigh leo sa deireadh thiar smacht a fháil athuair ar na príomhshráideanna tar éis roinnt uaireanta a chloig. Gabhaim buíochas leo siúd, lucht gnó agus foireann Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath, a ghlan an chathair suas ina ndiaidh na círéibe.

Given all that occurred on Thursday, it is plain that An Garda Síochána management was incapable of acting on intelligence and reports that things were being stirred up in the vicinity of Parnell Street after the appalling attack on the schoolchildren and their carer. One of the simple reasons for such an incapacity is that there are not enough gardaí in the city, and not only the north inner city. There have not been for years. I have seen the consequences of that in my constituency. Worse still, contingency planning is bizarrely and glaringly absent. Bizarrely, restaurants, cafés and other venues in the city centre were encouraged by members of An Garda Síochána to spill their patrons onto the streets to mill around, adding to the confusion and mayhem. There was no transport to get them out of the city centre - neither buses nor Luas trams - and rightly so. In addition, the signs at the bus stops were confusing for bewildered tourists and passengers because they said that the next bus would come in a few minutes. A lot more needs to happen. Someone else can probably take a better look at the question of contingency planning in this city.

Ultimately, the thugs and looters who were cheered on by narrow-minded provocateurs and far-right agitators need to be condemned outright.

Deputy Denise Mitchell

I also express solidarity with all the victims of last Thursday's horrendous attack on the children and adults of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. Children's safest place should be in school, where they are educated, make friends and build life skills. Last Thursday's shocking criminal act destroyed this place of safety for children. The perpetrator must face the full rigours of the law, when possible.

What happened in Dublin last Thursday night is unforgivable. All right-minded people throughout Ireland remain horrified and disgusted by the acts of violence and rioting and that people claimed they were carrying them out in the name of Ireland. We must all be clear that none of this was carried out in our name.

I was born and have lived in the north inner city. I am always proud to call myself a Dub. I am proud to be a Dub, but I was not proud last Thursday night of the burning buses and Luas trams, the attacks on gardaí and members of the front-line services, the looting of shops and the spewing of vicious hate and the intimidation of people because of the colour of their skin. My message to those people is that this does not protect women and children. It does not build the houses that are needed. It does not give communities the services and interventions they so badly need.

Dublin is hurting and is scarred. The Minister and the Government must heal these wounds. To say that warning the signs were not there is totally wrong. Control was lost in our capital city last Thursday night. We must make sure that never happens again. If the Government is incapable of taking back control, it is time for a new plan, a new fully resourced approach and perhaps a new Government.

I will finish where I started by offering all my hope for the speedy recovery of all those who were seriously injured last Thursday.

Deputy Holly Cairns

The country is still reeling from the attack last Thursday. As I speak, one of the children and Leanne Flynn, the heroic crèche worker who put her life on the line, remain in a critical condition in hospital. All our thoughts are with them. Almost immediately after the attack, Irish far-right agitators began to spread their venom through social media. They incited discrimination and stoked up fear and tension in a despicable attempt to blame our migrant population for the attack. They urged their supporters to gather in the city and placed a target on the backs of 20% of our population. The resulting riots that occurred in Dublin last week were horrifying. Rioters assaulted people and looted and burned everything in their path. The hypocrisy of their feigned attempt to protect the women and children of Ireland is simply pathetic. An air of intimidation is now pervasive in the city. Everyone feels unsafe and uneasy thanks to them.

This threatening atmosphere is particularly threatening for our migrant community. We all need to be clear that migrants are welcome in Ireland. They are our family, our friends, our neighbours and our loved ones. A diverse society only benefits our culture and communities, not to mention the fact that the country would grind to a halt without migrant workers who keep whole swathes of our public services and economy afloat. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their enormous contribution to our society. It is shameful that many of them now feel unwelcome. What happened on Thursday must be a watershed moment.

I also put on the record my unequivocal support for the rank and file gardaí who did everything they could last week to keep the riots at bay. Along with the whole country, I was in complete awe of their bravery. Unfortunately, the truth is that they were not provided with the resources they needed to do their job safely. The Commissioner's hands-off approach to the far right has resulted in an escalation of violence. Garda management has also been let down by the Government, whose promises of better resources and more recruitment have not materialised.

The Social Democrats, particularly my colleague, Deputy Gannon, have warned for years about the threat of the far right and of criminality in Dublin city centre. The Minister for Justice, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have always dismissed those concerns. Today, they seek to undermine them by calling them politicking. This is just a blatant and desperate attempt to evade responsibility. The reality is that there are now 514 fewer gardaí in Dublin than there were in 2008, despite the fact that the population has increased by 200,000 people since then. On Thursday, members of the far right did not hide their intention to riot. They were openly rallying support online for everyone to see from early in the day.

The streets were on fire and overtaken by violence and racism, despite the prior warning signs. There must be accountability for that and there must be a change in approach. It is clear that the Commissioner is not capable of understanding and handling the threat of the far right. I have not heard anything from the Minister today that has instilled any confidence in me in her ability to provide this city and the country with the safety and security they desperately need.

Deputy Catherine Murphy

The riot in Dublin last Thursday does not represent who we are. Most of us felt incredibly sad for our capital and our country. Media images were beamed across the world, with the consequent reputational damage. A small group of far-right activists seized on an appalling incident that had occurred earlier in the day. Our thoughts are with those who were injured outside the school and especially with the little girl who is still fighting for her life.

Far-right groups weaponised what occurred and have been building in confidence because there is no discernible consequence for their actions. There was nothing spontaneous about the riot. I acknowledge that this is not just a policing issue, but I have to ask whether the Commissioner is really listening. Does he understand that Dublin is not safe? It is infuriating to hear the Minister talk about the respect she has for gardaí. At street level, gardaí fought heroically to get control at considerable risk to themselves. The failure to ensure that gardaí are provided with the proper resources, to acknowledge the morale issues and challenges they face and to have an appropriate strategic plan, means that they are being put in harm's way and that the Minister is not demonstrating respect.

If there was an orange or red weather warning, the national emergency control centre would have been activated. It is located in Agriculture House. That is where a multiagency approach should have been co-ordinated. At 4.30 p.m., what occurred in Agriculture House was that the staff, including TDs, were told to go home. It was clear, therefore, that the risk was escalating. Where was the multiagency and co-ordinated response? It was the National Bus and Rail Union that instructed its drivers to cease work. Where was the live political response? Where was the city council input, including in the context of personnel from the fire service and the ambulance services? Where was the regard for their safety? The point I am making is that there was an absence of a co-ordinated plan.

It is infuriating to hear the Minister repeatedly say that Dublin is safe. It shows how out of touch she is. If she does not acknowledge that there is a problem, how will she deal with it? How safe do those who work in the city centre feel? How safe do the vital healthcare workers feel, so many of whom are from other countries? The absence of women on public transport at night tells us everything we need to know about how safe women feel in this city. We are told by the Commissioner that he has a policing plan until Christmas. Is it yet another short-term fix? I want to see that plan. I want to see where he is getting the resources from and the gaps that will be left elsewhere. We have a growing population. With that growth in population, public services have to grow in parallel.

Deputy Gary Gannon

The Taoiseach began by saying that he is keen to hear feedback from the community. Let me tell the Minister about some of the feedback from the parents in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as regards what they have experienced over the past 24 hours. Can she imagine what the parents of those children have experienced over the weekend since last Thursday? What would her expectation be if that was her school, where her kids would be? Earlier, at 2.30 p.m., those parents collected their children from that school. What would she say they experienced? There was not one garda present on Parnell Street today as they collected those kids from that school. More to the point, my phone started to blow up around 2.45 p.m. because what they did see was a person lying on the steps where that vicious assault on those three children and Leanne took place last week. There was a person who was intoxicated and had urinated on himself and there was not a garda present. That was at 2.30 p.m., despite the fact that that school principal had been promised there would be a consistent Garda presence on that street over the coming weeks and months. What sort of callous disregard is that from the State towards those children, who have experienced the most incredible trauma that none of us could even comprehend, that that is what they experienced today? They deserve an apology. It is unforgivable.

Yesterday, those parents made the brave decision - the right decision - to bring their children back to school. After they did so, they assembled in a nearby hotel to source information from the State as to how their children would be protected in the near future. They expected to see the police, council officials and potentially Ministers there, as would be the normal situation if an attack like that occurred elsewhere. There were three representatives of the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, present and dozens of parents who had all sorts of understandable questions that simply were not answered. The feedback I am hearing from parents in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, some of whom were present here today, is that they feel disregarded. The experience today is simply unacceptable. It is unacceptable in any sense that there would not be a garda present to provide reassurance outside that school and an apology should be forthcoming.

I will move on quickly because I do not have a lot of time. Earlier, the Minister for Justice stated:

An Garda Síochána maintained a high-visibility policing plan throughout the weekend, including through the deployment of public order units ... Thankfully, due to the diligent work of gardaí, no further scenes of chaos have unfolded.

On Sunday evening, a man was hacked to bits on Talbot Street. It was just across the road from where the Minister had her much-vaunted publicity stunt with the Commissioner during the summer to prove that those streets are safe. Does she know where that man lay as he was hacked with a machete on Sunday? He lay outside the office of the community policing safety partnership the Minister talked about. What we have is a lawlessness and a lack of control in the city. These are my constituents. It is the residents of the north inner city who are finding themselves at the coal face of this. Whether I have confidence in this Government or the Minister is irrelevant. My constituents are hurting. They have been crying out for support from the State for the best part of two years and they have effectively been ignored. The Government has asked for no points scoring and for there to be collaboration at these times. The centre must hold, it says. For the last two years I have come into this Chamber and I have asked for that very same approach and we have been ignored. It was this time last year we had statements on safety in the city of Dublin after a year of calling for them. No action followed. I make no apologies for making the calls we have made. Protect our city. That is all we are asking. Do the job. We need more gardaí on the street. It is not more complex than that. The school deserves an apology for what happened today.

Minister for Education (Deputy Norma Foley)

I join with the Members of the House in expressing my sincere and heartfelt sympathies to every single person who has been affected by this brutal, senseless and cruel attack. Our thoughts are in particular with the young children and the carer who were attacked on Thursday afternoon, as well as their families and loved ones. To perpetrate such violence against any person is a grave travesty; to do so against innocent children and their carer takes the horror and indecency of what occurred to a whole new level.

I have been fortunate enough to visit Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on a couple of occasions since becoming Minister for Education. It is an excellent school, one which works wholeheartedly and ambitiously to serve its students and local community. The school is under the expert leadership of a dedicated principal, deputy principal, senior management and board of management, all working together with excellent staff to realise great things for the children in their care. This they do every single day.

For the information of the House, where a tragic incident arises in a school, or, as in this instance, in proximity to a school, the school's critical incident plan is activated and NEPS plays a central role in supporting the school in this work. Students have now returned to the school, where they are receiving the care and attention they need from those who know them best, namely, their teachers, SNAs, secretaries, caretakers - in effect, the school community. Since the dreadful events of last Thursday, NEPS has been both on the ground in the school and in daily contact with school staff and will continue to be available for as long as is necessary. Additional staffing support has also been provided to the school to support it through this difficult time.

Fundamentally, these events have pierced the bubble of comfort and innocence which we would hope to surround our children. Tragically, the unimaginable has arisen in the vicinity of this school. It will take time, continued support and dedicated care for the school and its community to recover. We must always remember the strength and unity we have in this country and the respect and affection we have children and, indeed, for education.

What happened in Dublin city later on Thursday evening was nothing short of shameful. These were the actions of the few, not the actions of the many. The carer, the passersby and the members of the emergency services who intervened on Parnell Square demonstrated their selflessness, their generosity and their absolute determination to shield, protect and guard young children. That was the gut instinct of humanity by the many. It should not be overshadowed by the disgraceful actions of the few. In our hearts and minds today remain the children, the carer, their families, their school and their wider community.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)

Like everyone else, my thoughts are with the five-year-old girl and the crèche worker who are still in hospital after the vicious attack outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. Once again, I thank the Garda Síochána, the emergency services, Dublin City Council and any other responders, such as the fire brigade, for their services and the clean-up. I pay tribute to the businesses in Dublin for what they have done and their resilience.

This has come up for a huge amount of discussion among the ordinary public. Events have arisen in my time here in the Dáil when parties have needed to unite. This is one of those occasions. The public are looking in at the moment and they want to see collective action here. What happened on the streets of Dublin was utter thuggery. You can call it any way you want but it is utter thuggery and it needs to be met by all political parties with united force. If parties believe in and espouse democracy, they have a responsibility to work with the Government on this issue.

Sinn Féin members have called for heads and continued with that pattern here today. I ask them to reflect. What has happened is an affront to democracy. There are moments in time when we have to unite on it. There is an attack on democracy happening as we speak. It is unspeakable and I feel strongly we need to operate as a collective. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, will provide for additional Garda resources and additional powers coming through. If Opposition parties have solutions, Government will listen to them, but this episode requires a collective effort. We should be operating in a united fashion. I ask all parties - Sinn Féin, Social Democrats and others - to unite with us to combat this thuggery in the far right. Democracy is at stake in Ireland.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Neale Richmond)

I love being from Dublin. I love this city and feel lucky and fortunate to be able to call it home, as does everyone in this Chamber who calls it home for their whole lives or the many people who have only been calling it home for the past couple of years. We have seen this capital city at its best so many times in recent years, but I know we all agree that last Thursday we saw it at its absolute worst. We saw a vicious attack on children that has scarred a community and we saw anarchy from thugs, whipped up by the far right, on our capital’s main thoroughfare through Thursday night. We saw businesses and public vehicles destroyed and An Garda Síochána attacked. No one should ever feel scared to go to work and we saw on Thursday night workers sheltering in stockrooms and basements and having to be escorted from their workplaces by armed gardaí.

I spent the past number of days with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, speaking to business owners, traders and business representative groups. I spent all day today on O’Connell Street, Henry Street, Mary Street and Abbey Street with Councillor Ray McAdam, and the request from business leaders was clear. First, it is for the level of public order policing put in place by An Garda Síochána to be maintained for the foreseeable. I know the Minister, Deputy McEntee, will ensure that. Second, it is for us to quit the petty politicking, especially those of us from Dublin. We acknowledge the concerns and criticisms but, coming up to the Christmas period, this is when our capital city needs us most. The level of business lost on Friday will see businesses close, workers lose their jobs and some of us never being able to experience amazing things we have spent our lives being able to experience in Dublin, unless we come together and get behind our capital city. That is what we need to do in the immediate future. We do not need petty politics or confidence motions. We need to back our capital, get into our city centre, do the shopping, have the pint, go to the restaurant and make sure everyone knows Dublin is open for business.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Deputy Josepha Madigan)

As Minister of State in the Department of Education, my heart goes out to Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. As the Minister, Deputy Foley said, it is an excellent school. NEPS is providing assistance to the school and I hope it particularly provides it to children with additional needs. Something like this is traumatic for all children, but particularly those with additional needs. I hope NEPS is supporting them in that role. I will make sure, along with the Minister, that that happens.

I was in Dublin town on Thursday night. Many colleagues on this side of the House were. It was a menacing atmosphere. I will not say I was satisfied but by the end of the evening and by the time I got home there was some comfort to be taken in the work the Minister, Deputy McEntee, had done with the Commissioner to rally gardaí to react quickly. They did so and managed to dissipate the mob, which was intent on menace and on destroying the reputation of our capital city.

I received messages from Italy and from friends in Vienna who had heard of this. This is not who we are in this country. We are a country of céad míle fáilte. We always have been and will continue to be. We will not as a State or Government allow something like this to deter us from putting in effective policing measures to make sure it never occurs again, in Dublin city or in any town or village throughout the country.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

I grew up in Dublin city, went to school and college here and have spent my life working in Dublin. I have lived all over different parts of Dublin and to see a bus burning on O'Connell Bridge and to see the scale of violence and people terrorised in their shops was heartbreaking.

I have also worked in youth justice since 2006 and know the Garda youth diversion programme has worked for 95% of the young people who come into it. It is incredibly effective but I feel I saw that night the 5% whom State interventions did not and cannot reach. They are compounded by the far right, which has been growing. I know this because I saw it in Ballybrack this July, when I had a month’s worth of violence and public order protests and disruption. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, about it. I commend the response of the gardaí, who did everything they could to take the heat out of it and manage it as safely as possible for the community. Eventually, they needed a more forceful response. I commend Fergal Harrington and, in particular, Garry Deehan, the community gardaí, for their excellent response at that time.

It was also a time of political unity. I and my colleague Deputy Devlin, along with Deputy Boyd Barrett, Deputy Ossian Smyth and all the councillors, including the cathaoirleach, Denis O’Callaghan, came together and tried to manage this the best way we could in the interests of everybody in the community for that time and the time ahead, but also so as not to allow the far right a veto on who moves into Ballybrack.

Do Deputies know who was not there and did not help me? Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin had representatives locally, was active on the ground and had councillors in Killiney-Shankill. The only people who did not help me and did not help Deputies Boyd Barrett, Devlin and Smyth or the gardaí were Sinn Féin representatives. They had the opportunity to, with the community gardaí. They did not.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

You do not even know we have no councillor in Ballybrack.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

They are playing both sides of every argument. I, Cormac and all of us needed their help and they were the only people who did nothing to help the community.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

You do not even know your own area.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Sinn Féin members are playing both sides of every argument. I am not saying this politically. I am saying this because we lived through it in Ballybrack in July.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

You are saying it politically.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

We needed your help. You were on the ground, had a strong local presence and did nothing to help. I will never forget it.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Did you ask for it? No, you did not ask.

Deputy Neale Richmond

She should not have to ask.

Deputy Cormac Devlin

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the recent spate of violence in Dublin city. Last Thursday’s attack on three innocent children and their carer outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire shocked the nation. I send my best wishes to the children, one of whom is still in critical care, their carer, their families and all those who intervened to stop the attack. I commend the emergency services on their response to the various incidents of that evening.

It is appalling to think something like this, and the subsequent violence, could occur in our capital city. However, we saw during the pandemic the streets of Dublin become increasingly unsafe for people living, working and visiting. People report being terrorised by gangs as they try to go about their business. After dark, there is a palpable sense of fear in parts of the city. Clearly, not enough is being done to tackle the issue. The time for press statements and PR events has long passed. People want to see real results. The public want an immediate crackdown on violence, drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. We need gardaí visible in numbers across the city centre. This should be the focus and I know it is the focus of the Minister, her Department and Garda HQ.

It is not just the Department of Justice we need action from. We need a multiagency approach, including for the Department of Social Protection to review the cases of people in receipt of social welfare for many years or decades who have been terrorising communities for a long time. Ashling Murphy’s boyfriend, Ryan Casey, made the plea in a recent victim impact statement. We need to heed that call in this House and to see urgent action on this from the Taoiseach and relevant Ministers.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Andrews is sharing with Deputy Ellis.

Deputy Chris Andrews

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I acknowledge and extend my thoughts to the children and adults hurt in Thursday's sickening attacks. Those attacks were heartbreaking. There were many heroes on the day. I commend the gardaí who had to put up with extreme levels of violence and abuse. The gardaí on the front line were immense. The gardaí I deal with daily in the south inner city go above and beyond each and every day. Equally, gardaí do not have the resources they require. We have had 12 years of Fine Gael Ministers for justice and have a bigger population and fewer gardaí now than when Fine Gael took over. The events on Friday, for anyone representing or living in the inner city, were not surprising. We saw it coming.

It is important to remember we will not police our way out of the problems in the inner city. Neglect of the inner city is a huge issue. Generational neglect by this Government is now manifesting itself.

So much neglect of housing and housing estates means that many must live in conditions that are simply unacceptable and are disconnecting generations from society. A generation has been lost on this Government's watch. Residents looking at their conditions see clearly they have been let down and neglected by the State. They see the lack of educational opportunities and the lack of good jobs. They see the lack of, and poor, leisure facilities.

While a complex and multilayered response is needed there needs to be a law and order response. I have regularly warned the Minister in the House that the resources are not being put in to make the city safe. Over a number of years there have been running knife battles on City Quay. Many children have now got to the ages of 15 or 16 without facing any consequences for their criminal behaviour and terrorising families in City Quay and Creighton Street. This must change. There must be consequences for those terrorising residents in the inner city. I noticed the Commissioner said recently there will be a large number of arrests, and that of course is positive. However, this is of little use when they will all be released the next day. Of the 34 people who were arrested recently, 32 were released the next day on bail. What are the consequences for those terrorising communities, because they seem to face very little or none? I heard the Taoiseach say earlier that juveniles are not immune from the law. I could say it seems to many residents in the inner city that juveniles are immune from the law. That needs to change.

Deputy Dessie Ellis

The attack on schoolchildren and a member of staff in Parnell Square last Thursday was a horrific event. My thoughts are with the injured children and the member of staff who was injured while protecting the children. I commend those who prevented a much greater tragedy from occurring and thank the Garda and emergency services for preventing greater destruction in our city. This terrible event does not justify attacks on gardaí, the burning of public transport or the looting of shops. A small minority took advantage of this tragic event to engage in criminal and thuggish behaviour. There was no concern on the part of those people for what happened to these children. Their only achievement on Thursday night was to frighten decent people out and about in town and put at risk of injury people and staff of local businesses, some of whom might even be their neighbours or family members.

Thursday night was a clear illustration of the ugly face of the far right fascists and racists who are behind this and other incidents that happened across the country. They have been using misinformation, disinformation and increasingly violent rhetoric, especially on social media, to spread lies and false narratives targeting not just immigrants but also members of the LGBTQ+ community. In my own area, there have been attacks on buildings and the targeting of immigrants and people from other ethnic backgrounds. Buildings have been set on fire. People have been intimidated and attacked verbally and physically. The threatening language and disruptive behaviour of the far right have escalated. They are more emboldened in their activities as they see no sanction for their behaviour. The approach taken by the leadership of the Garda to the far right has not frustrated their activities and has, in fact, given them the idea they have a free hand to do what they like. The events of Thursday night are a consequence of such an approach.

A new proactive approach has to be taken by the Garda. I have been raising the issue of the lack of Garda resources in the Dáil and at every other available forum for a long time now. The use of Garda overtime is no remedy for the lack of extra personnel on the ground. I thank those in Ballymun For All and Finglas For All for the work they have done in rallying their communities to combat the vitriolic abuse directed at vulnerable people and supporting them at this time.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Gino Kenny is next and is sharing time with Deputies Bríd Smith, Paul Murphy, and Mick Barry.

Deputy Bríd Smith

I will go first, followed by Deputy Kenny and then Deputies Murphy, and Barry. Our full solidarity, sympathy and our hearts go out to the children, their families, the carer and her family, and all in the community who were deeply affected by this horrible and unspeakable act. There are certain grounds for women and children in this country to be fearful of violence because they have forever been subjected to it, both in personal relationships from partners and men who are known to them and from the State in the legacy of things such as the mother and baby homes. Is it not interesting that the fascists - and I will call them fascists not far right - who agitated to have that response the other night never have a word to say about violence against women and children when it is perpetrated by Irish men, and frequently in very unspeakable and horrible ways? They use it to stoke up hatred of migrants, who they say are unvetted, of military age, and are a danger to women and children. I recognise people's fears in this State of violence against women but that is not the response we need. What happened and what followed was an attack on all workers.

I do not believe it is just a law and order response we need to discuss here because fascism is a global phenomenon. It arises out of crises that are created on the globe we live on which is conducted through capitalism. Those crises are crises of war, climate and economies, and fascism thrives in the vacuum those crises create. We can see it everywhere. We know where they have been successful and how they are growing. It is gross inequality that characterises the system under which we live, and unless we challenge that, fascism, hatred and bile will continue to grow. That is why I must absolutely disagree with the Government parties who say we are all in this together and we have to fight this together. Yes, we do have to fight together in our communities, but we have a different message, which is that this Government and consecutive governments have helped to give rise to this by delivering us a housing crisis, a health crisis, a crisis in childcare and a crisis that delivers gross inequality in this society, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer all of the time, and the evidence is all around us. To challenge the politics of fascism, yes, we need unity, but we need an alternative to the system that has bred it, not just now but historically, and will continue to breed it unless we absolutely challenge that fundamental system.

Deputy Gino Kenny

My thoughts, solidarity and support are with the families of the children who were terribly blighted and injured on Thursday. Those brave people who intervened, the ordinary decent Dubliners, whether from Dublin or from around the world, are the heroes, as are the emergency responders. There is an element who for a long time have been fomenting hatred and poison and who hijacked the events on Thursday. These fascist agitators have been doing this for a considerable time. Their vitriol and commentary are utterly poisonous. Some of the commentary calls for migrants to be killed on the streets, and because of that, and I am sure we have all felt it, people of colour and migrants who have been living in this country for a long time are now fearful for their well-being. That cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.

Social media has a lot to be challenged for in giving these people so much oxygen. It is incredible. They are calling for people to be killed and to be rounded up and so forth, and social media companies, which make vast profits and are not too far from this House, have a lot to answer for. These people feel emboldened because they can go from burning buses to burning people. I am sorry to say that because these people, and they are a small number of people, feel so emboldened as to use serious violence against other people. It is a warning not only from history but from last Thursday that these people have to be challenged.

Deputy Paul Murphy

First, I send my thoughts and solidarity to the victims and the families of the victims of the stabbing attack. It is just horrifying and so nightmarish to think of children being attacked in such a way. In the response to that horror, we saw the very best of our city - Warren, Caio, Leo, Siobhán and others - people who were white Irish and immigrants coming together and putting their lives on the line to try to protect children.

Our city and country should have now been uniting around the families of the victims in solidarity with them. Instead, sickeningly and disgustingly, far-right, racist and fascist agitators said this was their chance to incite a riot and to spread hatred and division. We know who incited this riot and called for people to come out on the streets. These people did not hide themselves or issue the calls anonymously. At 2.16 p.m., a white supremacist, Mick O'Keefe, issued his first tweet. He followed that at 2.50 p.m., saying that a foreign man entered the school and stabbed five children and he said the kids were dead. Fergus Power tweeted at 2.55 p.m. that a five-year-old girl was alleged to have passed away and that "This better get people off their arses and out onto the streets". Phillip Dwyer, a crèche creeper and dog kicker, streamed a video at 4.04 p.m. in which he said he would be in town at 6 p.m. Gavin Pepper, another far-right agitator, called people onto the streets for 7 p.m. in town. Derek Blighe had a video in which he said "We are at war," echoing the words of Conor McGregor. We know who called people out. We also have to look at the role of some people in this Chamber. I will mention one. Deputy Mattie McGrath earlier called for a "reasonable debate" on migration. Fine, let us have the debate but a part of that will be Mattie's connections with the far-right. He has been photographed with Gavin Pepper; photographed with Andy Heasman; a street meeting with many of the people who were involved in organising this. He has been laundering far-right conspiracy theories using his platform in this Dáil repeatedly and he is not the only one.

Deputy Mick Barry

I extend my sympathies to all those injured in the knife attack on Thursday, especially to the five-year-old girl and her carer who are in hospital and whose conditions are serious, and to their families. This riot was organised and orchestrated by Ireland's far-right, by openly racist and fascist groups. These groups like to portray themselves as the defenders of women and children. Women and children are in far more danger from the kind of toxic masculinity promoted by these groups than from anything else in society. These groups will not stop at constructing a toy gallows outside the Dáil or organising a riot. They want to up the ante. They will be emboldened by the events of last Thursday night and already there are reports since Thursday of intensified racist abuse, harassment and attacks.

The Minister and the Government failed to listen and pay sufficient attention when migrants were targeted and asylum seeker accommodation was blockaded, when the LGBT+ community reported a sharp increase in hate crimes and when library workers were targeted and subjected to racist abuse. The Government is also responsible for failing to tackle the social conditions which underlie the rioting and looting. To be clear, I am totally opposed to the rioting and looting but I am not blind to the fact that much of it is underpinned by hopelessness and despair caused by social conditions. Mention also needs to be made of those Deputies in this Chamber, such as Deputy Mattie McGrath and Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, who consistently pepper their speeches with the talking points of the far-right. I am a Dáil Deputy for Cork North-Central. In Cork, the most serious blows dealt to date to the far-right have not been by State repression or a law and order approach. It has been by protests organised by the Fórsa union with the support of the LGBTQ+ community, librarians and the left in the city. Workers' action is a potential game-changer here. The ICTU protest yesterday must be a beginning, not an end in itself. There needs to be a discussion in every workplace as to how migrant workers can be protected by their fellow workers. Bus workers, for example, took practical action on Thursday when they took buses off the road on health and safety grounds. Workplaces that organise against racism should be given help and resources by unions up to and including bringing people together on a city-wide and national basis. A major trade union national demonstration should be organised now against the far-right for early 2024. An injury to one is an injury to all.

An Ceann Comhairle

Reference has been made to Members not present in the Chamber and associations which they may or may not have and I am not aware of with some of the wretched individuals to which the Deputy referred. It is probably not a good idea to make such references when people are not here to defend themselves.

Deputy Mick Barry

I am happy to make them when they are.

Deputy Paul Murphy

Will the Ceann Comhairle invite them in? There are pictures of them.

An Ceann Comhairle

I am not aware. I am not in a position to comment.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Catherine Martin)

Táim ag smaoineamh orthu siúd a gortaíodh san fhoiréigean ar an Déardaoin seo caite i gCearnóg Parnell agus orthu siúd go léir a ndeachaigh na himeachtaí le déanaí i bhfeidhm orthu. My thoughts are with all those injured in the violent attack last week. I thank the first responders and An Garda Síochána for their swift response and bravery. Their actions and the actions of the individuals who intervened to stop the assailant reflect the true values of who we are as a nation. Concerning last Thursday evening's events in the city, a Garda investigation is underway into the role of far-right online agitators. It will engage as necessary with online services. The Government is addressing extremist content online like hate speech and incitement to violence. Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland's new online safety and media regulator. It will be joint regulator with the European Commission for the EU Digital Services Act. My Department has ongoing engagement with an coimisiún. I met its representatives two weeks ago and again yesterday for an update on last week's events. They informed me they had engaged immediately with the large platforms, the Garda and the European Commission and that the platforms had activated their instant response plans. Engagement is continuing.

An coimisiún is calling for those who see hate speech or other illegal content online to report it to the platforms or An Garda Síochána. This is important and will be even moreso next year because once an coimisiún is fully operational, people will be able to report to it directly if they think a platform has ignored or wrongly rejected their complaint. These reports can then be used by Coimisiún na Meán to decide where to focus its oversight and investigations and, ultimately, its enforcement action.

An coimisiún's first online safety code as provided for under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 will be adopted in early 2024. A draft code will be published very shortly for stakeholder consultation. This will hold the video-sharing platforms accountable for how they protect their users online and will deal with extremist content like hate speech and incitement to violence. This is a new era in which regulators and the people they serve will be empowered to make the online world safer for all.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Patrick O'Donovan)

As a former teacher, the week running into the "Late Late Toy Show" is very special in almost every primary school. I know the school concerned as I walk past it most mornings when I come into the Dáil because I stay in that part of Dublin. Last week, their little innocent world was shattered into a million pieces. It is our job to try to make sure their mams, dads and teachers feel we have their backs and will look after them. It is not in anybody's interest that this place turns in on itself when our democracy is threatened and attacked in the fashion it has been. Back in the seventies and eighties, when this country's democracy was attacked and undermined, this House united to protect it. Now, this House must unite in the face of people who claim to oppose what happened to that poor innocent little child and her teacher outside the school but in fact were only looking for an opportunity to do what they did. It is not a time for this House, in the words of some people at the weekend in reference to the Minister for Justice, to have her "taken out". We should accept that our democracy is being threatened, as are the very foundation principles on which we are put in here as custodians of that democracy and take our position more seriously than ever, drop partisanship outside and unite in the face of something that could not just happen to that poor misfortunate child outside the Gaelscoil in the north inner city but could come to all of our communities. We have a duty of care, not in a political sense but to that child who should have been able to watch the "Late Late Toy Show" on the night like all of her peers. This time next year, we should be able to say that, regardless of the ideas and suggestions people come forward with in here, the Government will take them on board. That is our duty and should be our obligation going forward.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Thomas Byrne)

I express my sympathy and solidarity with those victims of the attack, which was the first thing that happened on Thursday. Some children and carers were viciously attacked. I certainly support An Garda Síochána in its investigation of this and in the prosecution of the individual responsible. I also thank those bystanders who took the initiative to prevent further attacks. They also deserve our eternal thanks, and are an example to the rest of us.

It is also important that we give our full support to An Garda Síochána. When mistakes are made by An Garda Síochána, as will happen from time to time, people rush to the airwaves and the Dáil to complain about it. I would not like to see that have any operational influence on gardaí. It is really important that they feel empowered to use every last power they have to keep us all safe and to be safe themselves when they carry out their difficult work. I support my constituency colleague, the Minister for Justice, in her efforts to make sure our streets are safe and our people feel safe.

To those who question migration, I say that migration is a fact - it is happening. We have to accept that. We have to look people in the eye and tell them that people are moving all around the world. There are not as many coming to Ireland as there are to some other countries. However, if we do not have migrants coming to the country, where are our hospitality and healthcare workers, etc.?

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

My thoughts remain with the young children and the crèche workers who were so viciously assaulted and attacked on Thursday, and the children, carers, families and friends caring for them. I welcome the swift actions of the delivery driver, the parents present, the school staff and the staff of the Rotunda. I welcome the ongoing major Garda operation in Dublin city centre, which has rightly included a significant number of arrests in the city since Thursday. More than 30 people have been before the courts, and a high-visibility policing plan is in place.

Nobody denies that we need increased Garda recruitment to increase the number of gardaí on the ground, and not just in Dublin. I have spoken here several times about Garda stations, like Leighlinbridge Garda station in rural County Carlow, that need to be reopened. I have spoken about small stations that need proper refurbishment and communications equipment. That is so important. It is a changing world, and we are all changing. Nobody has before experienced what we saw last Thursday. As the mother of a Garda, as the mother-in-law of a Garda and as a woman, I saw what the gardaí went through and I can honestly say it affects the families. We need to make sure we resource our gardaí. We need more of them. I am always calling for more gardaí in Carlow-Kilkenny. I know a lot of gardaí come to Dublin from counties Carlow and Kilkenny. I want to compliment every Garda. I know how hard they work. I know their commitment and dedication. We need to resource them and get more gardaí.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

Our thoughts go out to the children and their carer who were so callously attacked a few days ago and left in a life-threatening condition. We should record the bravery with which passers-by reacted to the situation regardless of their own safety. They were prepared to help. That is the real spirit of Ireland. The real thinking people of Ireland are the ones who respond to the call of an emergency like that. In this House we expect a response of a similar nature. It disappointingly does not always come. We have to support the Minister. We have to support the Garda Commissioner, and we have to support law and order. It is a challenge to us, and to every Member of this House. Anybody who stands aloof, aloft and outside it and condemns from within the House the institutions of the State, the Government and the Minister is making a cheap attempt to politicise a tragic event. It is something we should not tolerate, and to which we must respond strongly. I also say that we will pay a high price for our diffidence or dissidence in this area. I also mention that the Garda Commissioner has not always been supported in this House in the past, and neither was his predecessor in the not too distant past. It is about time we copped ourselves on, and recognised that in this House each and every one of us has a role to play. Each and every one of us has a responsibility. We should not think about ways and means of embarrassing the Government, the forces of law and order or the institutions of the State. We have to stand responsible and support the forces of law and order too.

Deputy Alan Farrell

I start by wishing the students, carers, teachers and parents of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire well. I can only imagine they are suffering greatly due to this horrifying attack on Thursday lunchtime. I think of the little girl and her carer who remain in hospital, and hope their recovery is both swift and comfortable. I also mention the number of heroes who intervened, disarmed and removed the attacker. They were mostly immigrants, which I think is a sombre irony in what followed.

Parts of this debate have frankly been shameful. Instead of bringing fresh ideas and leadership to the debate, political point scoring and finger pointing have prevailed - not by all, I admit, but by quite a number. It is obvious that the people of Dublin and Ireland want action to prevent these events from occurring in the future. In this House we must do all we can to assist An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice in doing their jobs. That starts in this Chamber. I have seen little evidence of that among some.

We must not lose sight of who is to blame for what unfolded in Dublin city centre on Thursday night: those thugs and criminals who were intent on using an appalling situation to wreak havoc, and those who manipulated and encouraged that response. This is not to forget the shameful group who used the opportunity to loot. The only thing missing from the cabal that ransacked O'Connell Street was the usual draped Tricolour of the so-called patriots - mindless thugs the lot of them. They will be brought to justice for what they did. An Garda Síochána has already brought 34 of them to court, and investigations are ongoing with regard to others. I understand there have been 50 arrests since Thursday lunchtime. There are new laws on the books to cater for those who callously assault members of An Garda Síochána. There are always lessons to be learned. Things can be done better. There must be a review, with every aspect of the policing response assessed and necessary changes made.

We must also recognise the significant part played by social media companies in this process. I welcome what the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has had to say. I expect to see those who incited hatred online brought to heel, in particular one high-profile gombeen who is already subject to Garda investigations.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I am afraid Deputy Feighan has ten seconds.

Deputy Frankie Feighan

I have spent three hours here waiting to speak.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I understand that, but you will have to speak to your colleagues. I will do my best to give you some latitude.

Deputy Frankie Feighan

I condemn the awful and disgraceful events in Dublin last week. Our thoughts are with the innocent children, the care workers and all of those who rightly intervened to save lives. I thank all the emergency services, and the brave men and women of An Garda Síochána who stood firm to protect our citizens and our society, and to uphold the rule of law. We need to give An Garda Síochána more powers, more resources and more importantly fewer restrictions as it goes about its work. This is a time for unity and reflection, and a time to work together to mitigate and deter any further outbreaks of lawlessness such as that which shamed our country last Thursday. I support the Minister for Justice, and the brave men and women of An Garda Síochána. They have had the unwavering support of my family and community since the foundation of this great State, and they always will. Far right, far left, the centre must and will hold.

Deputy Matt Carthy

Our thoughts this evening are, above all, with the children of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, and our prayers are with those who remain in hospital. The events at the school last Thursday were horrendous. I commend those who came to the scene and demobilised the attacker, the emergency services, na gardaí, the fire service and the ambulance crews who were first on the scene. Their collective efforts undoubtedly saved lives.

Above all else, we hope that those who were injured and remain in hospital make a full recovery.

I cannot believe that we have a justice Minister and a Garda Commissioner who will not accept that control was lost in our capital city last Thursday evening. The first step in resolving any problem is to acknowledge that the problem exists. Here is a problem that the Minister and Commissioner refuse to acknowledge. The Minister failed to keep people safe in the centre of Dublin city last week. Worse still, she has been presiding over a situation where people have been feeling less safe in every town, village and city every year she has been in government. She is still not listening to communities that feel that they have been ignored and disenfranchised, to businesses, particularly retailers, that have been telling her about increased antisocial behaviour, to those who visit our towns and city centres and readily admit they always try to get out before dark, and to the parents who have reported the fear they feel whenever their young adult children are out socialising. These stories have become particularly relevant, and prevalent, in Dublin, but they are well known in every village, town and city in the State. I hear them in County Monaghan. Any honest Deputy would attest that he or she hears them in every community across the State, yet the Minister still does not accept that there is a problem. The Garda Commissioner does not accept that there is a problem. If they cannot even recognise problems that have arisen as a result of 12 years of Fine Gael in government, then no one can have confidence that they are the people to finally sort them out.

Deputy Réada Cronin

We were all horrified when we heard that a woman and three junior and senior infants had been stabbed in broad daylight outside their school last Thursday. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Once it was leaked that the attacker had not been born in Ireland, anyone could have predicted what followed. That is, anyone except this Government and the Garda Commissioner, who insist, despite all the evidence, that Garda resources are adequate and that Dublin is safe.

The far right was quick to mobilise and a riot ensued. The scene of that horrific crime was vulnerable. Gardaí were attacked. They were under-resourced, underequipped and facing lawlessness on a large scale with the city centre on fire. I take that personally, given how my dad was a garda. The sight of the garda on his own on the bridge was frightening.

It was okay for the Government to ignore the far right agitating in deprived areas when the latter was just roaring about Sinn Féin and the left, but now the Government has to sit up because the far right is attacking property. There is more to Dublin than just property, though. It is a living city with a breathing community, some of whom feel they have no stake in society and are alienated. They know that the political class hates them, which is confirmed by the chattering classes smirking at their tracksuits and the jokes about not looting the bookshops. Maybe some people need someone to hate because they are tired of being the ones at the bottom of the barrel. We all want accountability, and those who broke the law the other night must face the law. There is no time for cotton wool for them. However, we also want political accountability and we need a change in political direction. We need investment in communities that yields opportunity and equality because no one should feel like a second-class citizen in a republic, especially the children of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire who experienced that horror last week. No schoolchildren in deprived communities can be abandoned to be easily groomed by the far right. We owe them that much. They need to know they have a place in this Republic. People need hope, not despair, but when I look across the floor, I see a rudderless Government that is in the political doldrums, is disinterested and has left a power vacuum that has been quickly filled by the far right. We have more in common with those who have made Ireland their home and are healthcare workers, bus drivers, hairdressers and retail and office workers than we ever will with the blind, unreasoning, scaredy-cat hatred of the far right and its so-called patriots with their dark work and useful idiots, paid for in shiny gold bars, and who stir the pot but never turn up except to lick the spoon. We all need to feel safe, and Dublin is not safe at the moment.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Shanahan.

I extend my thoughts and prayers to the five-year-old girl who was critically injured in last Thursday’s stabbing attack in Dublin, and to the hero school worker, who was also seriously injured and is in a serious condition in hospital. I commend the bravery of all those who intervened in the knife attack, many of whom are new to Ireland and are representative of the positive contribution that is being made to the country by many of our new residents.

The knife attack on children that day marked a dark new departure for the entire life of our capital city. I condemn the despicable violence, vandalism and hooliganism that took over the capital last Thursday evening. The centre of our capital was in utter chaos for hours and the lives of citizens, including gardaí, were under significant threat. The Government lost control of our capital, with all of the damage that entailed. Images of anarchy were broadcast around the world, shattering Ireland’s reputation and undoubtedly doing considerable damage to future investment and tourism in the country.

I condemn the shocking examples of naked racism that appeared on social media and on our streets. Incredibly, there were calls for the murder of immigrants on social media. This is a shocking indictment of where this country is at. There is a small nexus of ethno-nationalists stoking up racism in our capital, a city that has a long and proud republican history of equality.

The Government and the Garda need to get their act together. The Garda operation on the day was one of chaos. This is not a criticism of rank-and-file gardaí, who stepped into the breach with incredible bravery. I have spoken to gardaí who were on duty that day and they have told me that many of them were not mobilised into the city until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. They had to travel to Santry to pick up body armour, vans and shields, of which there were not enough. There was pandemonium in Santry. They then had to travel into the city, and many of them did not get there until 8 p.m. when the riot was in full swing. Many of those gardaí were exposed and vulnerable. Some were in groups of eight facing up to 50 thugs. This State put the lives of those gardaí in shocking danger that day. At the very least, we owe it to them to have a full investigation into the policing operation undertaken last Thursday. This should be a must for the Government.

Thursday was definitely an outlier, but the trend of increased violence and mayhem in towns and villages across Ireland has been happening for years. Instead of dealing with the issue, the Minister for Justice has allowed Garda numbers to fall every year she has been Minister. We now have one of the smallest police forces per capita in the whole of Europe. Gardaí are being violently attacked every day and they are retiring and resigning in greater numbers than before. The number of gardaí joining Templemore is still falling. Garda numbers overall are falling. Gardaí are voting with their feet and leaving the force. There is a direct correlation between the strength of our Garda force and the Garda’s ability to fight crime.

This country is becoming far more dangerous. Rapes and sexual assaults have doubled in ten years, murders are up, unprovoked attacks are up and there are thugs with multiple prosecutions who never see custody. Recently, I tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister. She told me that there were more prisoners than prison beds in the prison system. The Department of Justice is letting out prisoners on temporary release to make space for new prisoners.

None of this is new. I have been raising it constantly. We have a Government of chaos. The Minister for Justice lost control of our capital to anarchy last Thursday. I believe the Minister is not doing her job. It does not give me pleasure to say this, but she should resign.

Deputy Matt Shanahan

On behalf of my Regional Group colleagues, I send our best wishes to the children involved in that horrific stabbing incident, their carer and their family members. We remind parents, teachers and guardians that every Deputy is outraged at what occurred at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. I recognise the tremendous bravery of those who tackled and restrained the alleged perpetrator of this heinous act.

There is no doubt that the rise of the far right has been a topic of discussion in Europe for a number of years and in Ireland this past year. The events of 20 September, when political staff were targeted outside Leinster House, should have shown us what we were facing and what we should have been addressing. Unfortunately, there are individuals and groups in our population who are starting to organise to pursue a national far-right agenda.

The rioting that followed the Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire assaults in Dublin was contributed to in large part by opportunistic thugs and low-level criminals intent on and more interested in looting than loitering, but it demonstrates nonetheless that there are those in Ireland who believe in fascism and racism and that violence and intimidation can deliver their political agenda. They represent a clear and present danger to this democratic Irish State. No half measures should be considered in the State's response when dealing with these abusers and thugs.

On 4 October, Regional Group colleagues and I submitted a motion on deficiencies within An Garda Síochána and highlighted many areas of conflict and difficulty for its members. There are two of these I would like to raise again. The first concerns GSOC, which appears to show more interest in minor member transgressions than the transformation of policing for the 21st century. The second concerns technology deployment. We asked at the time of the motion that the bodycam legislation be pushed on. It was being slow-walked until recently, and now it seems it can be done. It shows the State can respond quickly.

Let me refer to another aspect of policing deficiency. It is rather disingenuous of Garda management to say it could not anticipate what was going to unfold. There was a myriad of stories in social media earlier in the day on immigrant families trying to get their loved ones off the streets and out of work areas because they could see the messaging that was building. In this regard, a failure of Garda intelligence needs to be recognised and examined.

We also need to examine how social media messaging is now being used as a conveyor belt to deliver far-right messages, but it is also being used as the logistical apparatus to arrange and carry out further racial attacks on visitors and citizens. The Minister should have examined all the screenshots that were made of known telephone numbers. What powers will be given to the Garda to find the account holders and prosecute them?

We need to do more to respond to inward migration. We need to think not only about immigration but also about integration. We want all our new citizens to take a full part in our democracy, but there is a perceived lack of communication in respect of how this is happening. It is causing some disquiet, particularly in rural towns and villages. I ask the Government to address this further at the earliest opportunity.

Deputy Seán Canney

Given that the events of last Thursday came upon us with such venom, we did not think this night a week ago that we would be having this debate this evening. I wish a speedy recovery to those brutally injured in the school attack. That issue and the bravery of people who stepped in have been well documented and referred to eloquently this evening. In its own right, the incident would have been a trauma in our city, but what followed was unbelievable.

We have to agree there has been an increase in antisocial behaviour and lawlessness in this country over the past two years. The Minister for Justice has got to do more, and she knows that, but the Government as a whole and every Department must also do more to ensure we get on top of this. It is not just a justice issue. The events that unfolded last week and for many months show there is a significant issue in our communities, particularly our capital city. However, we had unrest in Galway this summer. There was mayhem in the streets, with people openly defying the law.

Our Garda resources and mental health services and supports are not adequate. We had a Private Members' motion in December 2020 on mental health, and my colleagues and I in the Regional Group called for a whole-of-government approach to strengthen and develop strategies for more vulnerable groups. The Covid pandemic has wreaked havoc, but not only in respect of our health and economy because it has also deeply affected our social fabric, personal security and sense of belonging. We need to tackle this.

There were many people taking part in the riots and looting last week who took full advantage of the chaos. They did not care or think about the consequences of their actions, or about their own families and communities, the people they rely on for emergency services and bus services, Luas drivers, shop workers and gardaí. It is important to hold the individuals responsible to account, for they should have known better than to engage in such brutal antisocial behaviour. By imposing appropriate punishments, we can send a strong message that such actions will not be tolerated.

I would not like to label the extremist groups as right wing or left wing because they are self-appointed and not elected by anybody. We should not be calling them "groups" because that gives them a status they do not deserve. They are there to manipulate boredom. These hard-right and left-wing factions exploit weaker sections in society. We need to deal with that. Not only do we need a cross-government programme to deal with this but we also need every political party in the House to fall in behind that. Probably what we need is an all-party group to examine what we are facing. With the Garda situation, on which we had a Private Members' motion, a task force needs to be set up to see how best we can turn around the morale and all that is going on in the force.

This is not a time to be calling for heads; it is a time for all of us to put our heads together to ensure we stand to defend democracy. I have one little warning for the Minister for Justice and the rest of the Government: rural Ireland still exists. It still has its problems and all the burglaries, and there are still drugs all over the place. We are now sucking people from rural Ireland to deal with Dublin. That is not a great solution in the long term and we need to get back to having a full, working police force.

Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Heather Humphreys)

The events we saw in Dublin last Thursday have shocked decent people across the country. Three innocent little children and their carer were attacked. The city was in shock and our thoughts remain with those affected. Later, shops were looted and buses were set on fire, and there were open attacks on members of the Garda. The message this House needs to send out loud and clear tonight to the thugs and degenerates responsible is one of zero tolerance.

Yet, when unity was needed, what did Sinn Féin do? It grandstanded and played politics. To hear it lecturing about the rule of law just sickens me. Mary Lou McDonald says she has no confidence in the Minister for Justice or the Garda Commissioner. This is the same Mary Lou who welcomed Jonathan Dowdall with open arms into her party and, indeed, took donations from him. She had a councillor in her own backyard who was a torturer and who helped to facilitate murder. She stands here and talks about policing this country; she cannot even police her own party. She is saying the Garda should know what is coming. Did she see it coming?

When I look at the actions of extremist groups such as the far right, what do I see? I see anonymous trolls spreading bile, vitriol and hatred on social media, attacking every person who does not share their warped views. Who does that remind you of? Sinn Féin, more than any other party, has introduced nastiness and divisiveness into Irish politics. We saw it again at the weekend when a member of its Front Bench said Helen McEntee needed to be taken out. I am around long enough to know what the term "taken out" means, especially as I live on the Border.

I trust our gardaí to look after our citizens. I trust their judgment a lot more than anyone sitting opposite. Under the Government, including the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, 800 new Garda recruits are coming on board this year. Every class coming through Templemore is bigger than the last one. We want to see more gardaí on our streets.

Crime in our society is changing. Whether through the use of bodycams, facial recognition technology, dog units or water cannons, this Government will act and give the Garda the tools it needs to do its job and keep our streets safe.

Let us be clear tonight: where force is needed, force should be applied. We must trust our gardaí to know when that is appropriate and proportionate. That is their job and I trust them to do it and to do it well. What is more is I trust Deputy Helen McEntee as our Minister for Justice.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

On behalf of the people of Kerry, I express my shock and revulsion at what happened to those little children and their carer on Thursday. I thank the people who came to their assistance - Ireland's finest. I also acknowledge the emergency workers who came under attack from Ireland's worst. I thank the brave men and women of An Garda Síochána who repelled those attacks and brought order back to the streets on Thursday night.

Let us be clear: this is not the fault of the Minister, An Garda Síochána or the Government. To construct it as that is highly dangerous. I call on those select voices in opposition, who have let themselves down badly in recent days, to have a serious rethink about what they are saying. This is far too serious to be playing political games with. Words like "taking her out" have been used in respect of the Minister. That is highly toxic language to be using in the context of this debate. Calling for the Minister to be sacked from her job at this time is not helpful. It would actually provide a scalp to the very thugs we are trying to defeat here. It would encourage further disorder and further violence. That is absolutely not the approach we need to take at this time.

Sinn Féin Deputies have said that they have no confidence in the Minister and that she should be sacked. They had an opportunity this week to table a motion of no confidence. Why did they not do that? I know why they did not do it. I was a Whip and I know their form. They want to drag this on for another week. They will table a motion next week. That is not helping anybody. That is political game-playing at its very worst, creating another distraction for the Minister at a time of national crisis when we all need to be united in our approach to this. The people see what is going on, everyone in this House sees it. I have no doubt they will table a motion next week. They could have done it this week but did not. They are exposed. Everyone sees them for what they are on this one.

Deputy Jackie Cahill

The events of last Thursday shook our society to the core. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and hopefully they will make a full recovery. I acknowledge the heroic efforts of the brave individuals who intervened to save the children and their teachers and our front-line workers who acted heroically on what was a black Thursday for our society.

Law and order is not just an issue in Dublin city centre; it is an issue all around the country. Every town and village has its own problems and issues. We need extra gardaí. We have to make it more attractive and beneficial for gardaí to remain in the force. We have to look at pay, working conditions and pensions of our gardaí. We need to make it crystal clear what gardaí can do when they find themselves in difficult situations in order that they will not fear being prosecuted for defending themselves and defending the society that they so proudly defend.

Legislation relating to the carrying of knives needs to be strengthened. Greater penalties must be imposed on people who carry knives in public places. Anyone carrying a knife is travelling with menace and has evil intentions.

We need to put greater resources into tackling our drugs problem. Gangs are making vast amounts of money out of dealing in drugs and doing irreparable damage to our young people and our society. Drugs are an evil cancer within our society and we need to tackle them. Unfortunately, they have spread to the four corners of the country. I urge the Minister to provide greater resources here because law and order will benefit from it.

Deputy Seán Haughey

The appalling knife attack on three innocent children and a care worker in Parnell Square last Thursday shocked and horrified us all. What followed in the hours after that shocked us even further. Far-right activists descended on the city centre to spew out their vile message of division and fear. Others took advantage of the situation in order to engage in unprecedented looting and vandalism.

I want to focus on the Garda response to these riots. Gardaí at the scene acted with heroic bravery, but it is clear that the Garda strategy for dealing with such incidents is inadequate. The softly-softly approach adopted to date in the belief that a more forceful response would further provoke the rioters has not worked. It was found wanting a few weeks ago when Leinster House was put into lockdown for several hours. It was inappropriate when library workers were intimidated and migrants were attacked outside their accommodation centres and on our streets. Circumstances have changed and a new approach is needed. We are a European capital in every respect except, it seems, when it comes to policing.

The crisis relating to Garda recruitment and retention must be tackled. Gardaí must be given adequate resources and training and be allowed to use facial recognition technology in response to incidents of violent disorder. Above all, they need absolute clarity on the use of force in these situations so that they are not afraid to act. We need an informed and respectful debate on migration. Migration is good for our society and our economy. I condemn utterly racism of any kind. Diversity enriches us. That said, we also need to address any problems when they arise - as they continue to - as regards the provision of accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers.

Deputy Alan Dillon

As we gather this evening, the victims of the atrocious stabbing incident in Dublin remain first and foremost in our thoughts and prayers. We also give thanks to the heroes who intervened in what was a terrible situation. The appalling knife assault followed by the chaotic rampage of a mob in our capital starkly contradicts the values we hold dear in this country. It is disheartening but not surprising to witness the despicable political opportunism emerging in this Chamber in the wake of these events, particularly from those on the benches opposite. Sinn Féin's rhetoric is focused more on scoring political points than on offering viable solutions, which is what Dubliners and the public need at this critical juncture.

I have full confidence in and support the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and An Garda Síochána. I trust in their ability to protect our communities and keep them safe. Let us be clear: the incidents of last Thursday were horrific and completely unacceptable. The thuggery of the extreme and far-right aggressors responsible for last week's riots represents a threat to our democratic values. We will not stand for an assault on An Garda Síochána or any front-line emergency services. Mob violence and the underlying ideologies driving it have no place in our democracy. Those responsible for these actions must endure the full weight of the law. Our focus now must be on unity and working together to uphold the rule of law, to strengthen the powers within An Garda Síochána and to find effective long-term solutions to these far-right threats. We owe it to the victims, their families and everyone impacted by last Thursday's events.

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

As the grandparent of a child who is five years of age, I can understand the trauma and upset of the families concerned and all those injured. In Drogheda just over two years ago, we had a deadly drugs feud that resulted in violence, deaths and widespread fear and intimidation. The Minister responded to that in the appropriate way. Following a period of lack of interest in what was going on there, she has invested over €16 million in the last two years to address concerns in our community suffering from deprivation, drugs and crime.

The €16 million includes investment in community services, 30 additional gardaí, addiction and youth diversion projects which are very successful, education and additional teaching resources, grants for sports and cultural projects, and a microfinance fund for small businesses. This is the reality. A doctor treats not just the symptoms of an illness but removes the underlying causes. By investing in these communities, like the communities in Dublin, we will make the difference and that is what the Minister is doing.

Deputy Joe McHugh

Gabhaim buíochas agus táimid ag smaoineamh ar na daoine uilig, ar an ngirseach óg san ospidéal agus ar an bhfoireann ó Choláiste Mhuire, agus ar na daoine ar fad a bhí ar an líne tosaigh ar an Déardaoin seo a chuaigh thart. Is laochra iad.

I would like to acknowledge the brave men and women of An Garda Síochána who brought last Thursday’s unprecedented event to an end. They put their lives on the line in order to do that. There will be a review and recalibration of how we do things in this country on a national basis, not just Dublin. This could have happened in Cork, Limerick or Letterkenny. In that context, I have full confidence that the Minister and the Garda Commissioner in situ are the right people with the experience to bring the situation to a different level. Without a doubt, without that experience, expertise and knowledge, we would be in a dangerous place.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Go raibh maith agat.

Deputy Joe McHugh

Last Thursday, brave men and women stood together for us. It is up to us, as parliamentarians, to stand together for them, because they stood up for us in a big way last Thursday.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

Thursday was a very dark day for Ireland. It was one of the saddest days I have ever witnessed. As I stand here tonight, my thoughts are with the innocent people who have been injured and it is my deepest hope that they all fully recover.

A cloud has descended over Dublin. It is a cloud that we must all work together to lift. The tragedy of last Thursday began with a senseless and violent attack on children. The day ended with the collapse of law and order in our capital city. The challenge is one that everyone in the Oireachtas must embrace. It is a battle against thuggery, lawlessness and the hate-filled ideology that seeks to divide people rather than unite them. This is a battle against the spread of hate, fear and misinformation. We need to build and strengthen communities and not divide them. We need to resource our communities properly, reverse cuts to community groups, youth services and drug and addiction services. We cannot and should not treat this solely as a policing issue.

As I have said, on Thursday a cloud descended over our capital. By the evening, during the vicious attack on children, we saw some rays of light seep through. We saw them in the acts of an educator, a delivery driver, a nurse and others, who put their lives on the line to protect these children. We thank them for bravery. It is past time, however, that we get to grips with the type of criminality that is egged on by the far-right fascists.

The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, said that we could not have anticipated these events. For too long, the Garda Commissioner has paid scant attention to the far right in Ireland. The lack of leadership on Thursday put many members of An Garda Síochána, transport, hospitality, retail and community workers and ordinary people in serious danger. Fine Gael, the so-called party of law and order, has been responsible for the Department of Justice for 12 years. In that time, their light-touch approach has seen Garda numbers reduced, police stations being shut and many communities being abandoned. Fine Gael has let the far right cause so much hurt and division. Where was the Garda response when our libraries were targeted and threatened? These thugs literally sailed up the River Shannon to hassle library staff.

Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, its staff and students, must be offered all necessary supports to get them through this trauma. It is a school at the centre of a decent, vibrant and hard-working community. These are decent people, the huge majority of whom are utterly appalled not just at the vicious attack on Thursday but the destructive behaviour that followed into the night. The horrific attack on children was used cynically to incite hatred, violence and provoke looting and destruction. The hatred has been brewing for years. It has been allowed through online discourse where facts are ignored and distorted and mistruths are not challenged, and where it is open season in the context of abusing people on social media. This is not who are, and it is never who we will be. To those looters, rioters and, especially, their ringleaders, I say that Caio Benicio, an immigrant and hard-working man, is a hero. You claim you stood up for Ireland by looting stores and burning the Luas, but you did not stand up for protecting our most vulnerable.

Deputy Martin Browne

Right now, a five-year-old girl is fighting for her life. I know everyone here has that young girl, her family and the other children in Thursday’s attacks at the front of their minds. We thank those who stopped the attack. What happened afterwards on Thursday evening should not have occurred. Those who took part represent only a small minority.

Control of the situation was lost, and the Commissioner must take responsibility for that. The Minister must take responsibility for the confines in which our gardaí had to operate. Yet, the Minister will not even admit that control was lost. Instead, she said she was taken by surprise. Communities have been raising their concerns with the Minister and the Garda Commissioner, so for her to play down her responsibility for what happened is disingenuous. As events started to unfold, anyone who had an eye on social media knew from the moment of the awful attack that the far right was organising mayhem. They have no cause and are only looking for any little spark to cause trouble. The intelligence was there. The Commissioner was warned of the rise of the far right, yet the response was inadequate. There were clear organisational deficiencies and the commissioner’s approach to the far right and his response to the concerns of the local community is a failure.

On the Minister’s watch, Garda recruitment targets for this year will be missed yet again. Gardaí are unhappy with the resources they are given, and morale has fallen as a result. However, the Minister’s failings stretch beyond Dublin. On Thursday, gardaí had to be drawn from north Tipperary to bolster the response to the events in the capital, leaving other communities with even fewer gardaí than they had to begin with. Furthermore, I am told that Tipperary needs additional gardaí, but there are concerns that it is be unlikely to get any for the next 12 to 18 months because most graduates are being dragged up to Dublin. If this is the Government’s answer to policing, it will fail us all.

Elsewhere, particularly in my town of Cashel, I have been told that at least five more gardaí are needed in order to provide an adequate service. In reply to a parliamentary question, the Minister told that me that Cashel Garda station is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week when it is only open for ten hours a week. We must question how detached the Minister is from her Department or from the reality in which people live. We need a new approach. That is why the Minister and the Commissioner must go. I thank our gardaí. We in Sinn Féin have faith in the Garda and all our emergency services, council workers and bus drivers. They and the public need better leadership. The latter has not been displayed today.

Deputy Réada Cronin

Hear, hear.

Deputy Carol Nolan

The horrific and brutal stabbings that took place in Dublin last week merit our absolute and total condemnation. To brutally attack children and a crèche worker in such a manner offends every instinct we have as civilised people. It was a grotesque act of savage violence. I want to commend the heroic actions of Wicklow man, Warren Donohoe, who was visiting Dublin with his family for his daughter Abigail’s birthday when he tackled the alleged assailant and removed the knife from him. I also want to acknowledge the brave actions of Caio Benicio and Alan Loren-Guille.

I unreservedly condemn the utter lawlessness that exploded in Dublin following this terrible event. This was the result of thugs who were more than willing to hijack public anger to advance their own petty criminality and complete disregard for law and order and the lives and safety of our gardaí and first responders.

Much has been said about the political causes of this shameful episode. Some of it has been accurate. There is a lack of resources, and a city has been effectively abandoned to a criminal class. There is a growing sense that Dublin has become lawless and drug-infested, despite the best efforts of An Garda Síochána. Some of the commentary, however, has been nothing short of pathetic and, indeed, at times, potentially defamatory. I heard some of it here this evening, which was directed at my colleagues. Some have gone to the extreme and actually laid the blame for what happened in the riot at the doors of people like me and my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group. Those kinds of statements are not just moronic, they are grossly insulting. Those comments will be dealt with in an appropriate fashion in due course. For now, I will simply say this: responding to last week’s terrible events by rushing headlong into the self-righteous and self-serving erosion of free speech would not just be wrong, it would be profoundly and dangerously counterproductive.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

The brutal and unprovoked stabbings of innocent children, two girls aged five and six and a boy aged five, and the innocent crèche worker, Leanne Flynn, who used her body as a human shield outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire last week, are shocking. Our thoughts and prayers are with the five-year-old girl who remains in critical condition in the hospital and the care worker who was critically injured. We can say all we like, but knife attacks on children lining up outside their school and young women going out for a run are simply not something we like to see in our country. I can also say, as the grandparent of seven young girls and three boys, that this is a horrifying thing to see. I will not say anything about the comments made about our group and myself. That will be dealt with in another forum. As I said, we all want to unite in this.

Thankfully, I walked from Eccles Street to the House today, as I did last Tuesday morning. It was lovely on O’Connell Street today, and that is the message we want to send out.

There is no room for these thugs who have hijacked this. There is also no room for the establishment parties over the past days calling this on the far right. There may be elements of the far right in this definitely but this was pure wanton thuggery, opportunistic robbery and vandalism, with the incitement to attack this store and that store. We did not see any work boots stolen from any of the shops they raided. These people have time on their hands and deprivation and inner-city neglect is a big issue here. Certainly, the revolving door system and the courts system, and the barristers in this House for decades, also need to take account. The gardaí are doing their best and we must always support them. The revolving doors, getting into court and let out again not charged or getting away on bail with multiple convictions, has to be tackled.

Deputy Michael Collins

My thoughts and prayers, like others, are with all who were hurt last Thursday. There has been many commentaries as to who carried out the scandalous carry-on last Thursday night. Some Labour Party TDs, who dream that they know it all, have been inciting all sorts of people inside here in the Dáil. This surely needs controlling and will be dealt with by us. Everyone knows, however, where the Labour Party is going in this country.

There have also been comments from the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, who almost immediately said that it was the far right who were responsible for this carry on. He is totally wrong. The people who carried out this behaviour are lying idle and waiting for some event which they can latch onto in order to start trouble. They are not far right or far left but are people who do little or nothing, cause all kinds of criminality, and get away with it. During the last protest outside of the Dáil, when people were screaming all kinds of abuse and forcing gardaí to make arrests, which they did, two people arrested ended up in court. An Garda wanted these people to be kept in overnight and it asked the judge that at least they would not be allowed back to the street where they caused a problem. Not alone were they released but they were entitled to go back to the street where they had caused the problem. Our laws are too lenient. We are not sentencing these people who are committing serious crimes and are simply getting away with it.

I wish that the Minister was more honest in her approach. She continuously says to us that all is okay in our capital. Then she backtracks and backtracks but she consistently says Dublin is okay. Let me tell the Minister that, sadly, it is not. Her credibility is in tatters over this. She simply has to be honest and to see it the way everybody sees it.

As close as I am to Dublin, three days a week, I seldom go downtown, but on three occasions in the past 12 months I did. If anybody every watched the film, "The Walking Dead", it was nothing short of that. It was absolutely appalling and frightening. I was collecting a young person under 18 years of age and, to be honest, it was not safe to be there during the night. We have a very serious situation and it is not just in the past week or two. This has happened over a lengthy period of time and perhaps even before the Minister took office and we are not touching it but, instead, we are using gardaí from rural areas to deal with it.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I too want to pray for the little children who were stabbed, wronged, hurt and brutally injured in O’Connell Street on Thursday evening. I also condemn what happened after. These people are not deserving to be named as some kind of political category by affording them or calling them the far right. I call them thugs and blackguards, which is what they are. This is the worst kind of thuggery and they are the worst kind of blackguards.

I have been called out inside in this Chamber tonight and all I will say for now is that I will continue to represent the communities I have been elected to represent, regardless of what is thrown at me inside here.

Maybe the Government is not listening enough on certain issues such as healthcare, housing, immigration and policing. We have to appreciate our gardaí for the great work they do. I ask the Minister if the gardaí are operating with one hand tied behind their backs. It seems to me that many questions have been asked. Are they allowed to draw their batons or are they not in a case like this? We have seen a fine man in the middle of O’Connell Street, a garda, and he had to back away from them.

I remember a time when there was a garda in Killarney, a sergeant, and he kept law and order. He was not afraid to put people in their place and people respected him for what he did. We are not respecting the gardaí now. I am asking the Minister as well if there were 90 gardaí here somewhere close to O’Connell Street. Perhaps they were up around here with four horses at their disposal. Why were they not allowed to go down in O’Connell Street?

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

As a parent, and indeed a grandparent, and a representative of the people of Kerry, I want to say how sorry and shocked I am to think of innocent little children and their carer and minder being attacked in a savage way. I compliment the gardaí, the firemen, the emergency responders and the ambulance people for facing into what was an awful situation later on that evening. It was horrendous. When we should all have been concentrating on the children and on the injured people, here we were dealing with a riot situation. Those responsible have been called many things and I will call them another thing. There were nothing but a crowd of bums. The people who went up and down the street here, who took away people’s work the following day by breaking into shops, breaking their windows and taking their goods, at a time when their sales should have been happening the following Friday, are blackguards of the worst type and that is exactly what they were.

The Garda members should be empowered to do their job and they should not be afraid of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC.

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

My heart goes out to the three children and the carer who were at the heart of a situation where a person tried to and did stab them. My heart also goes out to the people who intervened to save those lives.

Some 98.7% of the gardaí voted against Drew Harris as their representative. The Minister is the protector of the people through the Garda service. Some 98.7% of the Garda service voted against Drew Harris and the Minister did not listen to them. That means that she is not protecting the people of Ireland. She has to listen to the gardaí because they know what they are doing. She has seriously let them down by not listening to their concerns about the commissioner. I ask her please to listen to the gardaí. Some 98.7% of them trusted the Minister to look after them and to protect them, so that they could protect us.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

Cut their dole, Minister, and hurt them in their pockets.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

I start by joining Deputies across the House in paying tribute to those affected by the brutal assault last Thursday afternoon, and, in particular, those who remain in hospital. Our thoughts are with them and with their families at this very difficult time.

As Minister for children, I think in particular of the childcare worker wounded while defending the children in her care. It is deeply upsetting that someone working in a job which is rooted in love and in care would be harmed in such a violent manner. I know that early years professionals around the country are thinking about her this week.

What transpired following those horrific events rightly appalled our entire country. Throughout Thursday and the weekend, my Department remained in close contact with centre managers and An Garda Síochána to ensure the safety of all those resident in international protection, IP, accommodation and I want to thank gardaí and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for acting so swiftly in this regard. I know that people living in IP accommodation and indeed many people from a migrant background in our country were left deeply shaken by Thursday’s events.

I believe that the vast majority of people in this country are kind and caring and while we might have different backgrounds or political views, we are respectful of one another. What is clear to me is that when it comes to the far right, they do not care about women, children, freedom or about any of the issues that they profess to care so much about. The only thing they care about is exploiting a tragedy and perpetuating lies in order to advance their own narrow agenda. This is an agenda to drip poison into Irish politics. This is not a problem which is unique to Ireland. Many countries are grappling with it but there is no room for complacency here. We cannot think that Ireland is somehow immune from the far right. We have an open and democratic society and within that all of us have a responsibility, the entire political system, not to follow this path and a responsibility to counter misinformation and not to capitalise from it. We have the challenge those who wilfully and recklessly spread lies because we saw from last week that misinformation will only lead to violence and destruction.

When inaccurate statements are made, we must challenge them respectfully but they must be challenged. I am sorry that Deputy Collins is not here now but when Deputy Collins said that it was not far right activists who stoked the violence on Thursday, I am sorry but that statement simply has no credibility. Anyone just has to look at Twitter and to look at these anonymous profiles, many of which are proudly boasting that they are far right. You recognise them. They have the tricolour image all over them, trying to use our national flag as a veil for the poison they are trying to spread around our country. The far right was absolutely central to the violence which was seen on the streets of Dublin on Thursday and I am not going to stand in our national Parliament and let anybody try and hide their involvement. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Simon Harris)

Like most people, I am thinking of the people affected by the horrific attack on Parnell Square last week, most particularly the young children impacted and their care worker. I commend the local heroes who stepped in. I thank everybody on the front line - the emergency services, the gardaí, the front-line workers and the fire brigade - for their swift response. This House needs to send a clear message that we stand united in the face of criminality because the eyes of the country are on us and they want to know not that we are taking potshots at one another but that we will do everything humanly possible to make sure this never happens again.

To achieve that, first, we need to agree that the actions of about 500 people last week were the actions of criminals. There can be no justification of them, there can be no digression from that fact and there can be no trying to wish it away or to explain it. It was blatant criminality. Thugs celebrated as they smashed through shop windows. Men encouraged and goaded one another to attack Garda cars. They put lives in danger by setting buses and a Luas alight. They hijacked our Tricolour, and some, disgustingly, called themselves and presented themselves as patriots. There was absolutely nothing patriotic about the actions of those hundreds of people who set our city alight and put people's lives at risk. This was a group that glorified violence and showed no regard for authority. It was criminal opportunism, pure and simple.

While most of the country watched the actions on their phones and TV screens, the men and women of An Garda Síochána were on the ground. They were face to face with thugs determined to cause harm to them and to our city. This Government recently passed new laws to increase the maximum sentence for attacking a garda to 12 years. That includes the ramming of Garda vehicles. That must be enforced. We will tomorrow pass legislation to introduce bodycams and stop the bizarre situation where gardaí are the only people at a protest or a crime scene without a camera. This Government and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, stand firmly behind the men and women of An Garda Síochána and we will do absolutely everything to give them the tools they need to protect themselves on the job. When many people run from danger, gardaí run towards it, and they deserve our absolute support.

Let us be absolutely clear: the riots were carried out by opportunistic thugs, but the spark that caused the riots was lit by a group of people who tried to prey on the concerns that communities have. Their currency is false information, disinformation and downright lies. They claim, without any mandate, to speak for us. They do not and they never will. Their intent is to divide us. We must stand united. Now is not the time for party politics. We need to send a clear message that mobster rule will never prevail, that there is no crime without consequence, that rights come with responsibilities, that thuggery will not be tolerated and that your communities, your neighbours and your country is ashamed of you if you were involved in those actions last week. I hope this House has the determination to confront all this. I know that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, does and I know that the Government does. In many ways this should not be about Government versus Opposition; it should be about democracy versus anarchy. We should be big enough to call that out.

Deputy Richard Bruton

People are right to be passionate and angry about what happened last week. I am angry and disappointed myself because it was an appalling scene to see. Anger, however, is not a policy, and it is disappointing that many people are reducing the issues that faced us last week to hollow slogans and demands for sackings or climbing on their own little hobby horses and claiming that those are behind what has happened here. The reality is that we are in a volatile situation, not only here but across the world, and we need to protect our democracy. It is under attack from people who are criminally trying to manipulate what is happening.

It was equally worrying that we saw young people, who are at risk of seeing this as some sort of outlet, whipped up into this behaviour. We need to consider every aspect of what happened on the streets last week. We need to look at the policing strategies and their capacity to track posts and respond quickly. We need to look at the responsibility of social media platforms. We need to look at support for practical integration within communities in order that this sort of fear that is clearly behind some of this is not developed. We need to ask why some young people get so riled up by what is happening here and if we can respond. We need to reassure people from the immigrant communities, who are so important, that we are on their side and will protect them.

This is a time for cool heads and looking to have a real, honest debate about how we can protect our democracy and our society from these sorts of scenes, which are so disturbing.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I extend my thoughts and my prayers to the five-year-old girl who remains seriously ill in hospital, to her brave childcare worker and to all those who found themselves in an absolutely unbelievable situation, caught up in awful scenes outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Thursday afternoon. To those who decided that the way to protect those small children and their carers was to riot, to rob, to set fire to public transport service vehicles and emergency service vehicles and to terrorise Dubliners, people who work here and who live here, as well as people visiting our capital city - words fail me. Some €20 million worth of damage and destruction was caused. That cost is nothing compared to the social cost: the fear, the intimidation and the reputational damage done to Dublin, our city and our country. That was spurred on and amplified by social media, and those social media companies need to be held accountable for that.

Thankfully, however, that behaviour was contrasted by the heroes of Dublin: our front-line and essential workers, our healthcare workers from nearby hospitals, our bus and Luas drivers, our Dublin City Council workers, our retailers, our restaurateurs, our delivery people, our bystanders, our emergency service responders and, in particular, our gardaí. Gardaí need Government protection. They need to feel empowered to be able to use the full resources available to them. They need to know that we trust them to police appropriately and to protect society in the moment. They need our legal protections and they need the backup of more gardaí. I know the Minister is committed to that, and that is the difference between her and the Opposition. It is not just words; it is actions. It is garda recruitment campaigns, extra resources, extra budgets, legislation on facial recognition technology and bodycams, tougher laws and tougher sentences. Destabilisation is what these people want, and it is what the Opposition wants too, but stability is what we need.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan

For the past 18 months, my colleagues and I have been raising issues concerning the increasing levels of lawlessness and criminality in inner-city Dublin. The reason I have been raising that is that I am a TD who represents the constituency of the south-east inner city and my constituents have been raising the issue with me. Neither I nor, I am sure, any other person in this House thought we would be standing here, however, speaking in response to the stabbing of schoolchildren in the inner city. There are many reasons for criminal activity, but there must be a strong policing response to it. In this House we are very good at describing problems. I will put forward some solutions to which I think the Minister should give consideration in her response to this ongoing serious political problem.

First, we need to openly admit as a Government that we are finding it extremely difficult to recruit people into An Garda Síochána. Back in 2008, which is 15 years ago, we had 14,200 members in the force. Today we have 13,900, although our population has grown by over half a million. We need to accept, therefore, that we are finding it difficult to recruit, and we need to be innovative in trying to increase the recruitment campaign. I welcome the fact that the Minister has changed the age policy. We may need to start looking at the terms and conditions of recruiting new officers in order to attract them into the force.

A second thing we need to reflect on, and this is one of the things about last Thursday night that surprised me, is that the individuals who were brutally attacking members of An Garda Síochána did not seem to be afraid of them. They did not seem to have any sense of fear in trying to harass members of the force. We need to emphasise too and remind members of An Garda Síochána that they have an entitlement to use reasonable force in order to oppose violence and riotous behaviour. Not only do they have an entitlement to use reasonable force, but they have an obligation to use reasonable force. We also need to reflect on the fact that over recent years gardaí may have become nervous about using the reasonable force they are entitled to use because of the reaction they may expect from this House or from outside the House and in the media.

The Minister needs to look again at the legislation which is before the Seanad at present in respect of the establishment of the new statutory body to replace GSOC. If a person wants to make a complaint against a member of An Garda Síochána, he or she should make that complaint within one month. Under the Bill which is going through the Houses of the Oireachtas, we are giving people a full year to make a complaint. Obviously, their entitlement to issue proceedings is not affected, but they should certainly make the complaint within one month.

The political motivation behind violence is irrelevant. One thing of which we in this country should be absolutely certain is that you cannot use violence to advance your political objective, irrespective of what that objective is.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

In one minute and 40 seconds, I cannot do justice to this topic. My empathy, thoughts and prayers are with the two people, the five-year-old girl and the teacher, who are still in hospital. I express my gratitude in respect of what happened on Thursday to the ambulancemen, the fire brigade team, the people from the hospital and the ordinary gardaí on the ground. I was driving to Achill and listened to every programme. It seems that only Garda management could have been unaware of what was building. It was not referred to in a single interview that afternoon and yet, on Saturday, the Irish Examiner was able to publish a chronology of the messages that went out repeatedly from 2.30 p.m. onwards. I do not need to exaggerate. The management of the Garda did not seem to be aware of that.

In listening to everything over recent days and hearing of the courage of the people who came forward, including those who live in this country but come from a different country and the other people involved, what has jumped out at me was an interview on a news programme on Sunday with a community worker in the inner city. I ask everyone to listen back to the interview. No excuse was made. I deplore the actions and words of what is being described as "the right", who have got away with holy murder to date. The community worker pointed out how young people are drawn into violence.

Deputy Michael McNamara

My thoughts in the first instance are with those who are still in hospital, as are most people's thoughts, and with those who tackled the assailant. That vicious attack was taken advantage of by those on the far right and it needs to be condemned. However, that was, in turn, taken advantage of by a group intent on lawlessness, and that has been pervasive on the streets of inner-city Dublin for the length of time this Dáil has been sitting. I have listened to Deputy Gannon talk about it. When I was Chair of the Covid-19 committee, I was getting communications from people in the south inner city who were saying that, once ordinary people were off the streets, these young thugs took control of the streets. The Garda has not taken back control of those streets to date. That is a problem for which this Government needs to find a solution. It has needed to find a solution to it for three years but it urgently needs a solution by tomorrow when the Minister will address the Dáil. Without that solution, the situation will be taken advantage of again.

There are also some in this House who want to take advantage of the situation to shut down debate and tell us what we can and cannot talk about. I find that perverse and deeply disturbing. Just as Deputy O'Callaghan says he is representing his constituents, I have many constituents with concerns about immigration. They are not racists or bigots. They are not looking to riot or to subvert the rule of law but they have concerns and we need to discuss those concerns because we are elected to discuss issues on behalf of our constituents.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

I send my well wishes to the teacher and child who were injured last week. I express my condemnation of the riots that happened last Thursday. Over the past year, we have seen far-right demonstrations at libraries, East Wall, a violent attack on the makeshift refugee camp on Sandwith Street and the protest outside the Dáil in September. It is disingenuous for the Government to suggest the riot was unexpected following decades of neglect in communities around the country and months of increasing tensions among far-right groups. The Garda should have moved on far-right groups earlier. It has had many opportunities to do so. Indeed, Agriculture House was evacuated of staff before 5 p.m. last Thursday but reinforcements were not summoned by the Garda until after 7 p.m. How was that the case?

Facial recognition technology is not the answer despite the Minister's insistence that it is. I echo the Irish Network Against Racism's concern at the Government's promotion of authoritarian measures, such as facial recognition technology, as an answer to far-right disturbances and hate crime. Such technology is not the answer and such measures have worse outcomes for minorities.

I also highlight the fact that although certain communities and people with certain backgrounds have experienced the brunt of the blame and backlash for Thursday, those who were charged were from all over the country. This is a nationwide issue and should be treated as such. A look at the court records reveals that to be the case.

Deputy Joan Collins

I send my solidarity and that of the Right2Change party to the victims of last Thursday's horrific violent attack. There are no words to describe something like this and I wish everyone affected a full recovery. I thank the heroes who responded to the attack and I condemn the violence against gardaí, emergency services and workers in the city on Thursday evening. The children and community around the school need support in the aftermath of the serious attack. I would like the Minister to outline exactly what Government support has been provided. This is a deeply traumatic incident. What aftercare services are in place for everyone affected? What extra privacy and security measures are there around the school? People have been affected by the riots. Those include retail workers, people who work in the emergency services and people who were attacked or racially abused. It follows they also need aftercare. Will the Minister outline what will be provided?

Has Dublin City Council declared a major emergency for the initial attack on the school as part of the major emergency framework plan? Does the Minister support extra penalties to be introduced for attacks on workers in the city, workers in general, similar to those in place for attacks on emergency workers?

The riots were fuelled by disinformation and deliberate incitement on social media by the far right in this country and internationally. What measures will be put in place to target the growing use of social media to spread disinformation, hate crimes and incitement? The Garda knows who these people are. Will the kid-glove approach directed by the Commissioner be dropped?

People have been trying to tell the Government that the feeling out there on the streets among immigrants, people of colour and anti-racists in the general community is one of growing danger. It has been building for years. We saw it on Sandwith Street and have seen it all year round outside direct provision centres. We needed to act five years ago but absolutely need to act now. The far-right actors who are committing and inciting acts of violent disruption need to be dealt with immediately.

Deputy Marian Harkin

Last Thursday was a dark day for our capital city and our country. It was not an isolated event but the culmination of events as this State lost complete control of Dublin city for over two hours. For whatever reason, we were completely exposed and unprepared for the violent onslaught that escalated into mob rule, as gardaí, bus drivers and others were attacked, shops were looted, and trams, buses and Garda cars were torched. Ordinary workers and anybody who was unfortunate enough to find themselves in the city centre felt completely unsafe. For far too long, right-wing agitators have acted with a level of impunity. They are being emboldened, and that exploded on Thursday night in Dublin city.

At a national level, both urban and rural, our Garda Commissioner has largely abandoned community policing, real engagement with communities and time spent interacting with communities in a meaningful and structured way. What we have is a veneer of community policing and I believe that policy is coming from the top and needs to change.

Back in 2016, Ireland had the lowest per capita police force in Europe, at 278 gardaí for every 100,000 people. There has been little improvement since. The Government tells us that more gardaí are being recruited but the figures do not lie. We have to go back to 2009 to find the highest number of gardaí, at 14,434. We have to go back to 2008 to find the second highest number and to 2010 to find the third highest number. We still have not caught up with the 2009 Garda numbers and have nearly 1 million more people in this country. For the five years since 2018, the number leaving the Garda force has increased by almost 40% - 39.1%, to be precise. Morale is at an all-time low. While the recruitment and retention crisis in the Garda is multifaceted, it is the Minister's responsibility to remove every barrier in the way. It is not just Dublin that needs extra police. Serious change is needed to put community policing back at the heart of policy throughout the country.

As I said to the Taoiseach earlier, there were totally insufficient numbers of gardaí available in Dromahair on Friday night.

I was not there but it was reported to me that illegal checkpoints were set up. This is unacceptable and the Garda must investigate. I was told by Dromahair concerned residents organisations that they contacted the Garda and it took nearly 90 minutes for the two gardaí who were covering the north of the county to arrive because of insufficient resources. That is unacceptable.

I am not calling for the Minister’s resignation but we need to show resolve and cohesion in the face of the right-wing threat.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice (Deputy James Browne)

I will start by saying how disturbed and shocked I was at the horrendous attack that took place on Thursday outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. My thoughts are with each of the victims and their families and particularly the young child and her carer who remain in a serious situation. They remain in a critical condition. I know we are all wishing for their full recovery with the support of the dedicated healthcare workers who are looking after them. This was a truly shocking and distressing incident. I commend the members of the public on their brave and swift response and to the healthcare workers for their continued care and treatment of the victims of this attack.

There is no excuse for the disgraceful scenes of violence we subsequently saw in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening, with attacks on emergency workers, public infrastructure and ordinary people going to work. It was an abuse of our tricolour. If those who fought for Irish freedom in 1916 and the War of Independence fought for anything, it was equality, not division.

There is no justification for the sickening behaviour of a minority which set out to cause chaos. I commend the members of An Garda Síochána and those of the emergency services on their courage in the face of raw thuggery. I share with the Minister and the Garda Commissioner an absolute determination that those who contributed to and instigated Thursday night's events will continue to be arrested and brought to justice. What we witnessed was an opportunistic response by thugs, stoked by the far right and misinformation. They brought shame on themselves and on their communities. The full force of the law is being and will be applied by An Garda Síochána.

We must be united to face down those who seek to undermine our democracy and foment hate and division. Yet in the face of this, the response from Sinn Féin was a tasteless and unseemly rush to political opportunism. It must be remembered that An Garda Síochána does amazing work every day in every community right across our country. Our police service has a long and proud history as a community police service. It is drawn from and is a vital part of our communities. We cherish An Garda Síochána for this reason and it is because of this community-centred ethos that I know we will come through this situation stronger. Together we can prevent this appalling violence reoccurring by focusing on our communities, but we must do so by being unified and expressing our confidence in the Commissioner, An Garda Síochána management and the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee.

Minister for Justice (Deputy Helen McEntee)

I wish to address a point made by Deputy Gannon on Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire first. It is my priority, and I am sure that of everyone else, at the moment to make sure the children, their parents and the staff in the wider community are supported in every way possible. I reassure Deputy Gannon, and any families of those in the school, that Garda members are present and liaison officers are engaged with the school and with the crèche. With regard to any incident today, there was communication and contact with the Garda immediately and a response happened immediately. However, it is really important for those schoolchildren that there is normality, and having a garda present and stationed directly outside the school at all times is not a way we return to normal. I reassure people that there is a Garda presence on the ground and it will be maintained.

I have sat here for a number of hours. For the most part, although some Members have provided some, I have heard very few solutions. I have not heard many proposals. I have heard very few from the opposite benches to do anything to try to unite in response to what have been appalling scenes and an appalling attack. What I have heard is political opportunity and I have heard political point scoring. A young girl, her school classmates and her carer were viciously assaulted last Thursday. The violent disorder that ensued, because of thugs and criminals, should be an opportunity and a reason for us to come together to ensure this does not happen again. Instead, the Opposition used its time - with the main party spokesperson calling me names – as an opportunity to lecture us. The Labour Party spokesperson used this opportunity to tell me I do not love Dublin and that I do not understand Dublin.

Let me be clear. I understand we have the most wonderful capital city, and I know that because I have either lived or worked in it for over half of my life. I understand the people who make up the very fabric of this city are the reason it is what it is. These are people who come from across the world who live and work and make this their home. I know that because I am lucky to call many of them my friends. I understand that every person in this city wants to feel safe and be safe and I know that is not always the case, because people have told me. I understand the impact Thursday has had on so many people who have responded to and supported those impacted because I, like others, know those who have responded and have been impacted.

I have listened when people have told me they do not feel safe. When people have told me they want more gardaí, I have listened. When gardaí have said they want more resources, I have listened. When people have said they wanted more than a policing response, I have listened, and when people have said, and I have seen for myself, the increase in hate in our society, I have listened. I am responding.

That is why €10 million in additional funding for overtime was allocated to Dublin city centre to complement the work of the 3,742 members who currently work in Dublin city centre, the members whom Deputy McDonald seems to think do not exist. That is why I have added this additional funding to complement the work of Operation Citizen, a particular operation with the sole focus to provide visible policing in the city centre. That is why the majority of new recruits have come to Dublin and why I am absolutely committed to ensuring our overall numbers of recruits increase so they can be spread right across the country. That is why I am working to remove any barrier that would prevent people from joining An Garda Síochána and why the community safety partnership was piloted in our inner city. I would urge Deputy Gannon, who has not engaged with and does not support the community safety partnership, to join his community who have been constructive and have supported this. That is why I have introduced tougher sentences to deal with criminals and introduced tougher sentences to respond to those who attack members of An Garda Síochána and our emergency workers. It is why our budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by almost a quarter since I became Minister three years ago and why I am introducing legislation to assist gardaí with dealing with crime, and hate crime in particular. It is why gardaí are being given body-worn cameras, why we are ensuring they have facial recognition technology, why we are investing in diversion programmes and probation services, why our Courts Service has 24 additional judges, the highest increase since our courts were established; and why we are building new prison spaces. It is because I have listened and responded and I am putting forward solutions.

I also acknowledge that more needs to be done. More needs to be done to support retail when it is victim of crime and to deal with the antisocial behaviour it is experiencing; to protect those minority groups who are afraid; to ensure those who are the very fabric of our society are not afraid to go about their daily lives; and to ensure those who incited violence and hatred and those who carried out the despicable acts on Thursday are brought to justice. However, let me be very clear, and let us repeat this time and again to those who do not seem to understand: the only people who were responsible for the violent scenes we saw on Thursday were those who committed those violent acts - nobody else. By denying that, you are contributing to the violence and the mayhem. Gardaí responded to these violent incidents in an exceptional way. They put themselves in harm's way, in danger, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. They will get our support, whether it is additional equipment, water cannons or clarity on their powers, they will be supported because, unlike others who say that they support them and in the very same breath criticise them, I and this Government will support An Garda Síochána. Of course, lessons will be learned from what happened on Thursday - of course they should – but gardaí will work tirelessly, day and night, to bring the individuals who committed that horrific attack on Thursday to justice and they will do everything in their power to ensure the thugs and criminals who are responsible for the looting, rioting and attacks on our city centre and gardaí will face the full force of the law. I and this Government will support them in that.