Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

The brutal murder of George Floyd in the US last week was heartbreaking to see on television. The fact that such racism exists in the US in 2020 is both heartbreaking and a cause of deep frustration. For a country such as ours that has such deep ties to the US, to see it burn night after night with such violence is distressing. It is radically important that there is justice for George Floyd and his family and that racism is systematically rooted out in the US and in every other country.

Aontú is an Irish republican party. We believe in the equality of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, that all of the children of the nation should be cherished equally. We radically oppose discrimination in every guise. However, it can be easier to identify the prejudice and racism that is abroad. Many people are rightly angry about what is happening in the US but are oblivious to what happens to Travellers in this country every single day. The societal inequalities that are a major ingredient in the trouble happening in the United States are alive and well in Ireland. We must fix our own failings in this country. That said, our response really needs to reflect the current pandemic. It is against public health policy for thousands of people to march in a manner where social distancing is impossible. Last week, elected representatives called on people to protect front-line workers from illness and death by staying at home. Is it logical now to dismiss such a threat and organise mass gatherings where we cannot guarantee social distancing? What does that say to workers, bereaved families and the owners of small businesses? Take the pain, financially and emotionally, of the lockdown and protect vulnerable front-line workers while we go out in our thousands to march. Are we really saying to the students who should have been sitting the leaving certificate this week "Come out and march in your thousands with us instead"? Political leaders need to speak with clarity. If the Chief Medical Officer can clearly state that these marches are a threat to public health, why can the Taoiseach not do the same? Public protest is a key element of a liberal democracy and I will fight for the right to publicly protest but common sense also needs to prevail at this time. Let us suppress the virus, get the country back to normal as quickly and as safely as possible and then let our voices for justice be heard in unison.

I wish to broach another key issue with the Minister. Families in my constituency of Meath West, like families all over the country, are being terrorised by antisocial behaviour at the moment. The hot summer days have brought large groups of people, young and old, into public spaces for Covid parties, to drink and take drugs. These groups are damaging property, setting fires and physically threatening passersby. Many of them are holding Covid parties right up against other people's houses. When antisocial behaviour such as this happens night after night, it really takes over people's lives and can cost radically, not just in terms of broken windows but of sleepless nights and mental health. This summer's antisocial behaviour comes on the back of a radical increase in both crime and this type of behaviour in County Meath in recent years. Town centres have been hammered with drug dealing. Petrol bombs have been thrown at the courthouse in Trim. Hatchet attacks have happened in the middle of the day in housing estates and there has been a massive rise in incidents of sexual assault.

There are restaurants in County Meath that close at 9 p.m. every night due to the anti-social behaviour that is taking place, while in other towns they stay open until midnight. People in rural Ireland have told me that they are sleeping with knives under their pillows. People who are walking home from pubs and nightclubs are ending up in accident and emergency departments. A significant reason for this is that Meath has the lowest number of gardaí per capita in the State. As previous Deputies have noted, Meath has lost its headquarters to another county. Large urban areas such as Johnstown in Navan have no Garda station. Ratoath has no Garda station. Finnea, Kilmessan and Crossakiel have lost their Garda stations. Where there are Garda stations, many are only open for a few hours a day.

The Minister said that Ireland has never seen so many gardaí. In real terms, per capita, there were more gardaí in 2011 than there are today. We have a lower number of gardaí per capita in this State than we did in 2011. When the Minister talks about Garda numbers, he gives 2015 as the baseline. For four years previously, there were radical cuts in the number of gardaí. Giving 2015 as a baseline for Garda figures is not a real reflection of the experience of people-----

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