James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy Murphy for raising the matter today and I pass on her regrets as she cannot be here in person. The Minister is aware of the protest that took place in Dublin on Saturday afternoon, and as the Taoiseach has stated, it is of course the case that people have the right to protest in a democracy. However, it is important to remind ourselves regularly exactly why it is that the range of health regulations and guidelines currently operating have been put in place. They exist to help curb the spread of Covid-19 and keep each of us safe, particularly the most vulnerable people among us.

As well as protecting life, it is essential to keep the virus suppressed to look after our children and keep our schools and businesses open. That is why the Government outlined its plan for Covid-19 resilience and national recovery yesterday. The Minister knows that this is not easy and that people have now spent six months living under circumstances that are very difficult for all of us. She urges all members of the public to act responsibly during this time and to abide by the health regulations that have been put in place.

With regard to Saturday's events, the Minister has been advised by the Garda authorities that the protests were policed by personnel from Garda divisions across the Dublin metropolitan region, supported by two public order units. In view of the size of the protest, Kildare Street was closed off by An Garda and traffic diversions were put in place.

With regard to the alleged assault to which the Deputy refers, the Minister understands that a Garda investigation into this incident is under way. I hope the Deputy will understand that for this reason it would not be appropriate for the Minister or me to comment in any detail on the matter. The Minister would like to emphasise in the strongest terms that violence, confrontation and intimidation have no place in public protests. People can have differing views or opinions, but the degree of aggression displayed by some protestors on Saturday is not acceptable, to put it mildly, and is deeply concerning. The Minister therefore urges all involved to act responsibly and to abide by the public health guidelines and regulations which have been put in place to protect all of us.

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