Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree that it needs to be called out. The behaviour during the recent protests on Luas journeys, to which I believe the Deputy is referring, was despicable. That is not what the Irish people represent. The vast majority are complying. It was an insult and an attack on the vast majority of Irish people on that Luas on that day. There are mechanisms that allow a public transport operator or driver to call in support from the Garda. My information from talking to the authorities in this regard is that it has worked very well on any occasion to date when it needed to be used. The Garda is taking the approach that we are in this together. It is not policing with a heavy hand and the public transport operators similarly have not done that. I think in the incidents the Deputy referred to a specific complaint was not made in time for those operations to come into play, but they are in place. I support and reiterate the Deputy's call for us to stand up for the Irish people and call out those incidents where they take place.

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