I am sure all Members of the House will want to join me in condemning the disgraceful scenes of violence witnessed in the centre of Dublin last night following the Ireland/England soccer international.
As this country has managed to avoid the level of violence which has been all too common a part of sporting events in some other countries, the events of last evening are all the more shocking. While many of those involved in the violence clearly were football fans it seems clear also that many of those who took part in and encouraged the violence had nothing to do with the match but simply exploited the circumstances to their own political ends, in this case the Provo-led and inspired campaign against extradition.
Justifiably we have been proud of the reputation of Irish followers who have travelled all over the world with the international soccer team, who have always conducted themselves in an exemplary manner. But it is clear that there were supporters of both sides involved in the violence of last evening. The English football follower has a bad reputation but we should be cautious about allowing ourselves to indulge in racial stereotyping. The image of the British football follower as a lager-swilling skinhead is as far removed from reality as is the manner in which Irish people are often depicted in the British tabloid press. The fact is that the majority of football followers, English and Irish, are decent people who want only to enjoy themselves, watch a good match and totally deplore the sort of violence we saw last evening. A minority of followers only on either side was involved last evening but, as we saw, a minority can cause enormous trouble.
I recognise that, once the violence started last night, the Garda took decisive action to end it as rapidly as possible. Indeed, had the Garda not acted so rapidly, the trouble could have been much worse with the possibility of more serious injury and even death. However, I am concerned that such a large number of fans were allowed congregate in the city centre following the match and that the Garda seemed, to some extent, to have been taken unawares by the violence. This match always was going to be a potential flashpoint. Clearly the dangers were increased by the fact that it coincided with the Supreme Court judgment in the Ellis case.
In Britain, where there have been major problems of soccer violence, where the British police have more experience of dealing with soccer thuggery, the underlying strategy adopted by the police is to ensure that potentially hostile fans are not allowed to congregate before or after a match. As I understand it, in accordance with normal practice at such matches, all of the English fans at Lansdowne Road were segregated in one part of the ground but that, following the match, they were allowed disperse around the city centre.
Given the fact that most of the English fans were day-trippers, it would have been preferable had they been escorted in groups to the airport, ferryport or railway station. This is standard practice in other countries. Had it been done in Dublin yesterday — especially as anti-extradition demonstrators were known to be gathering in the city centre — much of the violence and trouble could have been avoided. I would ask the Minister to explain why that was not done.
As I said earlier, I acknowledge the prompt action taken by the Garda but I am concerned also at allegations that a number of newspaper photographers were assaulted by the Garda and had their films confiscated. This morning's Irish Independent contains a graphic account by two of the paper's photographers of their alleged treatment by gardaí which I hope the Minister or the Garda Commissioner will have investigated. While some gardaí may consider the presence of reporters or photographers to be an irritant in such cases, the public have a right to know what is going on and we must protect the right of newspaper staff to be free from violence or intimidation.
The most important thing is that we must now learn the lessons of yesterday's events. We must discover why, despite months of planning on the part of all those involved, there was mayhem in the city centre last night. I hope the Department of Justice will join with the Garda and the FAI and carry out a full investigation into yesterday's violence and ensure that such scenes are not repeated after any future sporting event in this city.
