James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will start by saying how disturbed and shocked I was at the horrendous attack that took place on Thursday outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. My thoughts are with each of the victims and their families and particularly the young child and her carer who remain in a serious situation. They remain in a critical condition. I know we are all wishing for their full recovery with the support of the dedicated healthcare workers who are looking after them. This was a truly shocking and distressing incident. I commend the members of the public on their brave and swift response and to the healthcare workers for their continued care and treatment of the victims of this attack.

There is no excuse for the disgraceful scenes of violence we subsequently saw in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening, with attacks on emergency workers, public infrastructure and ordinary people going to work. It was an abuse of our tricolour. If those who fought for Irish freedom in 1916 and the War of Independence fought for anything, it was equality, not division.

There is no justification for the sickening behaviour of a minority which set out to cause chaos. I commend the members of An Garda Síochána and those of the emergency services on their courage in the face of raw thuggery. I share with the Minister and the Garda Commissioner an absolute determination that those who contributed to and instigated Thursday night's events will continue to be arrested and brought to justice. What we witnessed was an opportunistic response by thugs, stoked by the far right and misinformation. They brought shame on themselves and on their communities. The full force of the law is being and will be applied by An Garda Síochána.

We must be united to face down those who seek to undermine our democracy and foment hate and division. Yet in the face of this, the response from Sinn Féin was a tasteless and unseemly rush to political opportunism. It must be remembered that An Garda Síochána does amazing work every day in every community right across our country. Our police service has a long and proud history as a community police service. It is drawn from and is a vital part of our communities. We cherish An Garda Síochána for this reason and it is because of this community-centred ethos that I know we will come through this situation stronger. Together we can prevent this appalling violence reoccurring by focusing on our communities, but we must do so by being unified and expressing our confidence in the Commissioner, An Garda Síochána management and the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee.

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