Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The riot in Dublin last Thursday does not represent who we are. Most of us felt incredibly sad for our capital and our country. Media images were beamed across the world, with the consequent reputational damage. A small group of far-right activists seized on an appalling incident that had occurred earlier in the day. Our thoughts are with those who were injured outside the school and especially with the little girl who is still fighting for her life.

Far-right groups weaponised what occurred and have been building in confidence because there is no discernible consequence for their actions. There was nothing spontaneous about the riot. I acknowledge that this is not just a policing issue, but I have to ask whether the Commissioner is really listening. Does he understand that Dublin is not safe? It is infuriating to hear the Minister talk about the respect she has for gardaí. At street level, gardaí fought heroically to get control at considerable risk to themselves. The failure to ensure that gardaí are provided with the proper resources, to acknowledge the morale issues and challenges they face and to have an appropriate strategic plan, means that they are being put in harm's way and that the Minister is not demonstrating respect.

If there was an orange or red weather warning, the national emergency control centre would have been activated. It is located in Agriculture House. That is where a multiagency approach should have been co-ordinated. At 4.30 p.m., what occurred in Agriculture House was that the staff, including TDs, were told to go home. It was clear, therefore, that the risk was escalating. Where was the multiagency and co-ordinated response? It was the National Bus and Rail Union that instructed its drivers to cease work. Where was the live political response? Where was the city council input, including in the context of personnel from the fire service and the ambulance services? Where was the regard for their safety? The point I am making is that there was an absence of a co-ordinated plan.

It is infuriating to hear the Minister repeatedly say that Dublin is safe. It shows how out of touch she is. If she does not acknowledge that there is a problem, how will she deal with it? How safe do those who work in the city centre feel? How safe do the vital healthcare workers feel, so many of whom are from other countries? The absence of women on public transport at night tells us everything we need to know about how safe women feel in this city. We are told by the Commissioner that he has a policing plan until Christmas. Is it yet another short-term fix? I want to see that plan. I want to see where he is getting the resources from and the gaps that will be left elsewhere. We have a growing population. With that growth in population, public services have to grow in parallel.

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