Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In the interest of saving time and because the facts are well known, I do not think I need to lay out the significant issue facing the State regarding these ongoing arson attacks. I do not believe that we are taking them seriously enough and I do not believe the Garda is taking them seriously enough. We need to look not only at the individual cases but at the systemic problem they point to. Despite recent arrests, I suggest we are still not taking them seriously. The Commissioner has spoken about these being one-off, lone wolf or copycat attacks. I think his exact words were that there was no guiding hand but there is a clear systemic pattern here whereby a small group of people is pointing out new centres that are being prepared for use and within days, those are set on fire.

There is a clear systemic pattern here and we are not responding to that. Inaction has consequences. Last February, a group of protesters stood outside a Garda station openly calling for arson to significant cheers and applause from the crowds. That was last February and since then, there have been fires and arson in Buncrana, Sandwith Street, Buncrana again, Ballincollig, Ballybrack, Sherrard Street, Fermoy, the Holiday Inn off O’Connell Street, Finglas, Rosslare, Rosscahill, County Galway, Ringsend, Sandyford, Lanesborough, Crooksling and Leixlip and there are more which happened before that. There is a systemic issue here that the Garda is just not facing up to. In its own statements, An Garda Síochána has dismissed any kind of organisation behind this, where there is a clear pattern. The pattern and the organisation behind these attacks ultimately are a threat to our democracy. It is the same group of people who are assaulting TDs out here. It is the same group that is currently targeting IPAS applicants sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin. There is a threat and there is danger here, not just in individual cases, but in a systemic way. It represents a complete breakdown in law and order. It is both deeply frustrating and deeply dangerous that An Garda Síochána does not see the pattern here and does not acknowledge that this is a wider issue that needs a significantly stronger response. When Commissioner Harris was before the justice committee I raised this with him and he said very concerning things. Among other things, he stated the Garda was not up on their networks.

However, the reality is that this is all being done in public on Facebook and Telegram. These people are proud of what they have done and are bragging about it. If we cannot find the evidence or patterns in public statements of those who are bragging, the state of the Garda is very concerning.

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