John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister and thank him for participating in this debate so speedily. His speech and, more important, the brief from the Garda Commissioner clearly put to bed the claims that there was a lack of planning or thought in regard to this parade. We all rightfully agree that the right to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental principle of the democracy in which we live. The essence of that democracy is the right of victims of violence to parade.

Why was this parade so different from the many other parades that pass through O'Connell Street? It is clear preparation went into it and that there was liaison with the groups involved. Based on this, the Garda made an operational decision on how to proceed. I contend the "soft hat" approach was correct. We do not need rings of steel around parades passing through O'Connell Street. As Senator Maurice Hayes correctly observed, such an approach could have led to the opposite of what we wished to achieve. I join previous speakers in condemning Republican Sinn Féin's refusal to co-operate with the efforts to prepare for the parade.

To those who say the parade should not have gone ahead, I ask what the political consequences of that decision might have been. What message would have gone out by a refusal on the part of the State to allow these people to march? We pay a price for our freedom and democracy in that we must stand by the institutions of the State when decisions are made to allow people protest or parade on the streets of our capital.

The questions I have in regard to the violence that took place are "Who?" and "Why?" The "who" are the people we have already identified and who will be identified. I hope the Garda will bring them to account for their actions. The amount of CCTV footage and other material available should ensure perpetrators come before the courts. A more important issue is the "why". Why were these people stirred up into such violent behaviour? It is in the examination of the "why" that I hope we will get some clear answers.

I have no doubt that the amount of co-ordination that was behind this violence is where the real problem lies. We will find answers by looking to the string-pullers and the smirky-faced puppeteers who orchestrated these people and wound them up. I heard on RTE radio during the week about an e-mail from a teacher in Dublin who claimed young people were recruited outside schools on the Monday before the parade. Those less than 18 years of age were particularly targeted and were guaranteed a fight if they were to come to O'Connell Street on Saturday. These recruiters are the puppeteers who sat in the comfort of their own living rooms on Saturday night and observed the job had been well done and that they had achieved their objectives. This is the most important issue that we as politicians and society in general must address. There was evidence of this also in the riot that took place at a soccer match in Lansdowne Road some years ago. Again, the violence was orchestrated by those behind the scenes who were pulling the strings.

I compliment the gardaí on their courage, patience and tolerance. What started with verbal abuse quickly moved on to physical abuse, of which we have seen the pictures. The gardaí place themselves in these situations daily but on Saturday, they showed all of what is good and professional about their chosen career and the job they do for the people on a regular basis. Looting, car burning, petrol bombing and violence occurred on the streets of Dublin as a result of what was triggered. We need to get those who set up that trigger. Shame was brought on the name of the republic. As a result of television coverage in the US, I received a call on Sunday asking what had happened in Dublin.

The Minister said there will be a Garda debriefing. Operationally, I am sure gardaí will learn from it and that future events will be arranged and organised accordingly. However, we must also debriefing ourselves. People have called for a public inquiry but I do not believe we need one. We need a public debate and this House must lead that debate. Given the profile of those involved in the rioting, we have a responsibility to educate and to counteract what is now being fomented in our society. We do not want that, as it is not the vision of Ireland held by the majority of people. We have a responsibility as politicians and I hope the Government will consider how we can encourage that public debate to educate our young people that this is not the way to go.

No one wants a return to the scenes we witnessed a number of years ago when there were regular parades in Dublin which required a huge Garda presence and military support. That is not the society in which we want to live. I hope our courts send out a clear message to the people and the international community when those involved in last Saturday's riots come before them, that we will not tolerate this behaviour. I wish a speedy recovery to gardaí injured last Saturday and congratulate the Garda on a job well done in difficult circumstances.