Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ar an Déardaoin seo caite, bhí an chathair seo faoi scamall bróin. Táimid ag smaoineamh orthu siúd a gortaíodh ar Chearnóg Parnell, go háirithe ar an ngirseach agus ar a cúntóir. Is í fírinne an scéil ná gur cailleadh smacht ar an gcathair seo agus tá sé soiléir go bhfuil smacht caillte ag an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus go gcaithfidh sí éirí as.

On Thursday this city was gripped by grief. My thoughts are with those who were injured at Parnell Square and we pray for their recovery. Like others, I pay tribute to the emergency services who tended to them, those who showed great courage to protect them and the medical staff who treated them. In the hours that followed, this city was gripped by violence, destruction and fear. Those who took part in Thursday's carnival of destruction must be subject to the full rigours of the law and must pay the price for their disgraceful actions. It cannot be disputed that the situation which Dublin city centre found itself in was that it collapsed rapidly. It collapsed in preparedness and in policing, and it was a collapse in political leadership. What unfolded on Thursday was unprecedented. Our shock speaks to those facts, but the suggestion that what happened was unforeseeable and that these clouds of destruction have not been gathering for some time is deeply dishonest. Mob violence and intimidation have blighted our communities and streets before.

Two gardaí were brutally assaulted on Ballyfermot Road last November. Retailers have been warning of the rise in assaults and of antisocial behaviour against their staff. When an American tourist was attacked on Talbot Street in July, resulting in the American Embassy issuing a warning to tourists, the Minister for Justice insisted, despite all of the evidence, that Dublin was safe. People do not feel safe in this city. The Minister has been in a state of denial for some time. Thursday's events made it clear that she is now in a state of delusion. Fine Gael has made our communities less safe and more vulnerable. There are fewer gardaí on our streets and fewer Garda stations in our communities. These are the facts.

This is not restricted to Dublin; in Donegal there are fewer gardaí now than there were in 2009. Since this Government took office, garda numbers in Donegal have fallen in every single district. We need more gardaí on the street. Any attempt to deplete garda numbers in Donegal or elsewhere to cover the Government's failure in Donegal is not a solution and not acceptable.

The events on Thursday have brought shame to this city and this country. Control was lost, but the Minister and the Garda Commissioner need to be held accountable. It is clear that we need a change in leadership, and this Minister is not the person to deliver the leadership that is needed.

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