Vol. 302 No. 8
asked the Minister for Justice why it was possible for sympathisers with the family (name supplied) who were the victims of the recent Ballybane, County Galway tenancy controversy, to be harassed and obstructed in their attempts to bring food and supplies to the beleagured family and their children.
9.
asked the Minister for Justice why it was not possible to give Garda protection to newspaper photographers, radio reporters and television cameramen in the exercise of their work during the recent incidents at the Ballybane Housing Estate, County Galway.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the demonstrations against the housing of the family have been called off and I am sure that nobody in this House would wish to say anything which might contribute to any renewal of the controversy. Moreover, as is not unusual when a dispute takes place, the recollection of observers tends to differ according to their evaluation of the merits of the case. I shall, accordingly confine myself to saying that the Garda report on the events indicates that at no time was the family either shut up in the house or deprived of food because of the demonstration and that, while representatives of the media were unable in some instances to carry out their assignments in regard to the demonstration, whenever they sought Garda protection it was provided.
I share completely the Minister's view that there should be as little recrimination as possible on an issue like this. This is not the first time this has happened. Is it not a fact that on another occasion very brave and courageous people tried to get into the house to feed the children, the women and the man involved and on this occasion, too, when people tried to get in they were intimidated and harassed? The Press and television people were also harassed and intimidated. Most of us were very ashamed to see this on our national television service. Could the Minister say if this was as a result of a decision taken by the Garda or—it would seem to me to be an unusual thing that they should be so partisan—or of a decision taken higher up? In other words was this a political decision?
There was no question whatsoever of any political decision. In regard to this problem in Galway—which I might describe as an unfortunate one—it was a pity that it ever happened. I am sure every Member of this House would wish it had never happened. I believe that, even with huge numbers of gardaí there, this demonstration was going to take place. The gardaí, finding themselves in difficult circumstances, as they did in Galway, made a very good job of a very delicate and emotional situation.
I share the Minister's appreciation of garda behaviour in that situation. However, is it not a fact that the hooliganism displayed by the alleged settled citizens was completely offset by the civilised behaviour of the itinerants? Would the Minister not agree that had the itinerants behaved with the same lack of control and positive savagery of the so-called settled citizen, they would soon have found themselves in jail?
I have already described the situation there as an explosive and extremely emotional one. I would not be doing anybody justice or fairplay, to any degree, by going into the rights or wrongs of the case just now.
