asked the Minister for Justice if he will make a statement on allegations of Garda brutality on the occasion of the Belgian royal visit to Trinity College, Dublin.
26.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - TCD Royal Visit.
25.
asked the Minister for Justice if he has received, or has been informed of, a protest by the Students Representative Council of Trinity College, Dublin, about the presence of gardaí on college grounds on the occasion of the Belgian royal visit; if so, if he will make a statement on the matter; and if there is any basis in the law or custom of the State for suggestions made following the occasion in question that university lands or premises are exempt from surveillance by gardaí or law enforcement agencies.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 26 together.
Responsibility for the protection of Their Majesties, within the precincts of Trinity College as well as elsewhere, rested with the Garda Síochána and the invitation extended to Their Majesties to visit the College involved the acceptance by the College authorities of the presence of the gardaí there. It is, therefore, unnecessary to go into the general question of the powers of the Garda Síochána to enter private property.
The precise arrangements for Garda protection were discussed beforehand with the College authorities and, although there was positive reason to fear that some attempt was going to be made to stage some kind of incident, the Garda decided that the main group of members on duty could remain outside the grounds unless they were needed. As it happens, members of the escort party did, in fact, send for reinforcements from outside the grounds, but order had been restored before the reinforcements arrived and they were in no way whatsoever involved in what occurred.
I emphasise this, partly to correct some reports to the contrary but mainly because it puts what occurred in perspective. The total number of gardaí on escort duty was ten, namely, one inspector, one sergeant and eight other members, so that, at the very most, only ten gardaí can have been involved. Moreover, batons were not drawn. It is clear, therefore, if only from the small numbers taking part, that the cry of police brutality against the demonstrators is just the usual catchcry raised whenever the police are forced to intervene against certain types of demonstrators.
What I think has to be taken more seriously is the attitude of some critics who, while admitting that the allegations of police brutality are unjustified, make the case that the gardaí were wrong in interfering with what has been described as a "peaceful demonstration" and that it was this allegedly unjustified Garda intervention that caused the trouble.
There are two points to be made in reply to that particular allegation. The first is that, even if it were true that the demonstrators did nothing more than hoist a banner of a grossly insulting nature in the face of a foreign Head of State who had come here on a State visit—and it is freely admitted that they did that much—their action would of its very nature, stand condemned as an action calculated to lead to a breach of the peace and, on that basis alone, the Garda would have been fully justified in intervening. In fact, however, there was very much more to it than that. Before the incident took place, a crowd of students had already drawn up near the College Library, awaiting the arrival of the Royal Party. These students were orderly. Then, suddenly, a small group, numbering perhaps ten students, were noticed by the gardaí rushing forward from another part of the grounds, shouting, booing and using offensive language. It was quite clear that they intended to break through the lines of students already assembled and to intercept the Royal Party at the Library steps. In fact their intention to do so was being loudly announced by at least one of their members in very plain, even if obscene, terms.
In the opinion of the gardaí who saw these people rushing forward, who heard their language and had some knowledge beforehand of their outlook —which they certainly made no secret of—there was an immediate and serious danger that the Royal Party would not only be grossly insulted but physically molested either by a direct assault or by the throwing of something at them. It was the clear duty of the escort to restrain these people physically and this is what they did. It may very well be that most of those already in the vicinity of the Library were unaware of what had been happening and were under the impression that it was a question of the gardaí attempting to remove the banner. As I have already said, I would defend the right of the gardaí to remove a grossly offensive banner had they decided to do so, but, as a fact, they were far less concerned about the banner than about the protection of the Royal couple from the danger of molestation and any struggle involving the banner was quite incidental.
Those who have criticised the Garda would do well to ask themselves what the people of this country would have thought and said about the Garda if they had permitted these distinguished State guests to be physically molested. Even more to the point, the critics might ask themselves what action the people of this country might demand, in their indignation, in order to vindicate the good name of this country, had such a gross outrage been actually perpetrated by this small clique.
Is it not a fact that no injuries were suffered by anybody as a result of this?
That is so.
Therefore, brutality could not have peen present.