Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators for raising this very serious matter which has caused grave concern.

Irish soccer supporters are renowned throughout the world for the colour and fun they bring wherever they go and their impeccable behaviour. That has been demonstrated time and time again, most recently this summer during the World Cup in Japan and Korea, where Japanese and Korean authorities praised the behaviour of up to 9,000 Irish supporters. It is only fair to point out that these reports regarding Irish supporters are not new and are consistent with reports from other venues where great numbers of Irish people have travelled in support of the national soccer team. We recall with pride the Irish supporters in Germany in 1988, the extraordinary scenes in Italy in 1990 and in the United States in 1994. Leaving aside World Cup and European Championship tournaments, the record of Irish supporters in attending qualifier and friendly games is equally good. No one can suggest that these attacks can in any way be attributed to the Irish supporters.

It is for those reasons that the events in Moscow at the weekend must be viewed as shocking and disturbing. It is recognised that between 4,500 and 5,000 Irish supporters were in Moscow for the game. The vast majority arrived between Wednesday, 4 September and Friday, 6 September. The Irish Embassy in Moscow has confirmed that about 20 Irish supporters were injured in the course of the weekend as a result of serious assaults by groups of young men. Many other Irish people, while not physically injured, were deeply distressed by their experiences.