Last Saturday someone lit a match, and the city centre exploded. For an explanation, I think we need to move beyond tribalism and thuggery, though both played a part. There has been much talk in the past week about values such as respect for the right to free speech and freedom of assembly, and condemnation of those who are unable to respect the views of others, writes Breda O'Brien
Perhaps there are other kinds of respect that also have a bearing on Saturday's events. The space for nationalism in public discourse has been squeezed and crushed almost to nothing. The savage and murderous actions of some nationalists alienated and sickened many. However, we have also had several decades of corrosive contempt poured on the ideals that prompted the men and women of 1916, and deeply ahistorical judgments passed on their actions.
As President Mary McAleese said in her speech on 1916, the words "narrow" and "nationalism" are practically inseparable in some commentators' minds. Love for one's country and a desire to see it reunited by peaceful means automatically mean you are placed in a box marked narrow, intolerant and regressive. There is no space for the idea that those securely rooted in a national identity can then reach out to others who do not share that identity. Instead, nationalism is associated only with divisiveness and war.
What happens when it is no longer legitimate to espouse in the public square the ideals of nationalism? People who are part of the mainstream hesitate to express their views publicly. More significantly, those who are already alienated, perhaps because of poverty and lack of education, begin to identify with the more extreme elements of nationalism.
The growth in republican sentiment in deprived areas has less to do with any thought-out position on nationalism than with a perception that republicans are anti-establishment. If the system has dealt you a poor hand, it is easier to support those who seem to want to upset the whole card table.
It is also sobering that the majority of what might be called "opportunistic rioters" were so young. Fr Peter McVerry is a voice to whom it is always worth listening. If he says, as he did during the week, that there was a deep well of resentment towards the Garda among the young in the inner city that found expression in rioting, then his voice should be heard. That is not in any way to diminish or take away from the immense personal and collective bravery shown by gardaí last Saturday. In the face of mayhem, they appear to have reacted in a disciplined fashion.
However, it would be ironic if part of the indirect cause contributing to the riots was, as Peter McVerry suggests, that there are some gardaí who have not learned "to use power lightly."
He gives the example of the constant stopping and searching of young people, for no reason other than that they are inner-city kids. Being searched in public is embarrassing and frustrating, and they resent it greatly. He also suggests that gardaí are not trained sufficiently in how to de-escalate tension in their daily contact with inner-city young people where conflict situations may arise.
Obviously, he is not talking about riots, but far more mundane situations. It is not realistic to expect that a 16-year-old who left school at 13 will have developed the skills to de-escalate a situation of conflict with an authority figure. An adult charged with maintaining order should have such skills.
As an example of good practice, he cites the "fabulous" community garda who comes into a drop-in centre for homeless young people. When this garda first arrived, all the young people used to get up and walk out. Now they call in looking for him, wanting his advice or his help.
Some medical personnel in hospitals receive training in how to defuse potential aggression or violence through use of body language and particular speech patterns. I asked the Garda Press Office whether such skills used for everyday challenges form part of a garda's training.
The courteous and helpful garda told me there was no such explicit training, but that much of it is common sense. There is, however, an intensive module on public order and riots.
Interestingly, she also commented that medical personnel would need such training more, because they "don't have the powers that we have". That may be the point. It is precisely because of the powers that gardaí have that they need these skills.
Police forces in the US have a far worse reputation than the Garda, including an unenviable reputation for racism and trigger-happy reactions. To help to build more positive relations, the New York Police Department communications office told me, all officers now receive training in a technique called "verbal judo tactical communication".
A professor of English turned police officer, George Thompson was fascinated by why some police officers were so good at their job. They managed to ensure voluntary compliance by the way they spoke to aggressive and potentially violent members of the public. He observed for a year, in a search of a "teachable" formula that would distil methods used by the best cops who had years of experience. Verbal judo was the result.
Traditionally, police forces have had a macho culture of "showing who is boss". Thompson contends that using verbal skills to de-escalate conflict is not weakness, but strength. He counsels asking rather than commanding, explaining rather than insisting, and "professional respect and empathy" even when the person does not appear to deserve that respect.
Verbal judo might not translate well to Ireland, as the phrases used are very American, but the underlying concepts could.
Policing in deprived areas is difficult and often dangerous. Gardaí are expected to pick up the slack on society's many failures in educational and social policies. Being highly trained in defusing common potential situations of conflict would also reduce stress levels for gardaí.
Simmering resentments exploded last Saturday in an orgy of violence that was rightly condemned. However, condemnation is not enough. If we wish to prevent other such explosions, not just in the inner city but in all deprived areas, one useful step would be if gardaí give priority to developing skills in de-escalating conflict in everyday contact with already alienated sections of society.