Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

The men I saw on O'Connell Street were adults and their accents were not those of Seán McDermott Street. The men with the earpieces and mobile phones were grown men. I look forward to the investigation and its results. It would be interesting to go through the names and addresses of those involved in the trouble.

I know some of the gardaí who were injured on Saturday. I am aware of the amount of consultation and planning that went into policing the march. The Garda could not have planned for the trouble because it was hidden and secret, but organised. The results of any investigation must be examined very carefully.

If anything good emerged from last Saturday's events, it might be that it opened people's eyes to what some of these groups are capable of. On one hand, millions of euros of taxpayers' money is poured into improving O'Connell Street and our capital city and attracting people to it, but on the other hand, the people behind the trouble do not care about the harm they cause and the effect they have on our economy, people and capital city. As the Minister noted, marches and protests are held in Dublin on most weekends, all of which pass off peacefully. It is unacceptable for certain people to hide behind so-called republicanism and use it as an excuse to cause mayhem and anarchy. We must take a stand in this regard. The events of last Saturday might open people's eyes and give us an idea of what we are up against.

I commend the gardaí and Dublin City Council on the way they handled the situation. I visited the area early on Sunday morning and Dublin City Council staff were still clearing up. The council had the area almost back to the way it was before the violence took place. The gardaí protected the people to the best of their ability. When one considers the naked violence that took place, it is a tribute to their training and professionalism that no one was killed.

I look forward to the results of the investigation. While we must take these issues seriously, we should not be afraid or worried about holding other events in the future. In a democracy, everyone is entitled to walk the streets without fear.