Dublin communities may form vigilante groups to protect themselves from violence unless the Garda cracks down on “thugs” and far-right extremists, councillors have told Garda Commissioner Drew Harris during a tense meeting following last week’s riot.
Dublin city councillors complained Garda management had taken a “soft” approach towards the far-right and appeared to have a “policy of appeasement” towards them.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will tell the Cabinet on Tuesday morning that she is seeking clarity on the use of force available to gardaí in dealing with serious public order incidents.
It is part of a wide-ranging review of how the Garda deals with serious outbreaks of violence.
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Replying to criticism of the Garda response to Thursday’s violence, Mr Harris said gardaí often felt their “hands were tied” in dealing with public order and cases taken against gardaí in the performance of their duties had resulted in a “chilling factor or a loss of confidence among members”.
Green Party councillor Janet Horner told the commissioner that people did not feel safe in Dublin.
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“I’ve heard talk in different circles of vigilante groups in multiple areas being organised in response to the danger they feel for their communities. They need to feel protected; they need to feel engaged with.”
Chief executive of the business group DublinTown Richard Guiney said “huge reputational damage” had been done to the city last week, but businesses had for several years endured increasing levels of intimidation and theft often from very young people.
Meanwhile, a five-year-old girl who was stabbed in the knife attack which preceded the violence remains in an extremely serious condition in Temple Street Children’s Hospital. A school worker who received extensive injuries attempting to shield the children from the attacker also remains in a serious condition.
The only suspect in the attack, a 49-year-old man, is still being treated for serious head injuries he received while being restrained by members of the public who put a stop to the attack outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East.
He was placed in an induced coma following his hospitalisation and gardaí are awaiting medical clearance before interviewing him. This is not expected to happen for several more days.
Gardaí in Store Street have made an appeal to members of the public to get in touch if they have footage of the disorder. It is understood a large number of people have come forward already to help identify rioters or provide footage.
Investigators are also examining social media posts from various accounts to determine if they may have incited violence. This includes statements by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor who made several comments about the stabbing and subsequent violence. Far-right figures who helped organise gatherings in the city centre are also being investigated. Several have since deleted social media posts potentially tying them to the riots.
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As part of the Government response, Ms McEntee has asked the Garda to expedite the purchase of body cams for use by gardaí. The legislation to allow body cams is expected to pass all stages of the Oireachtas this week. Currently the equipment is scheduled for use by the middle of 2024 but the Government now wants earlier delivery.
Over the weekend, Ms McEntee instructed her officials to expand the scope of her facial recognition technology legislation to include riot and violent disorder. The draft facial recognition technology law, which the Minister has been working on, will be ready to be approved by the Government within weeks, according to sources.
She will argue that gardaí should not be required to trawl manually through 6,000 hours of CCTV associated with the riots.
Other supports being considered could include access to new non-lethal equipment, new vehicles, the use of the dog unit, the use of their coercive powers and further training. Ms McEntee will ask the Policing Authority, which also has an oversight role on policing matters, to examine how frontline gardaí dealing with such serious situations can be further supported.
Several councillors at the joint policing committee meeting spoke of public safety concerns in the capital.
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Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre Heney said that during the Covid pandemic “thugs were allowed to roam the city” and “huge disrespect for the gardaí” had been allowed to grow and fester, resulting in people being afraid to go into town. “Are we going to take back control of the city?” she asked.
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said he and other councillors had repeatedly warned about the rise of the far-right in the city.
“There appears to be almost a policy of appeasement when it comes to the far-right versus some other crises we have faced in the city. The Garda is an information-driven and intelligence-driven organisation we saw them deploy both those strategies very well and very comprehensive tackling gangs in the city and shutting them down.”
Dublin communities were “living in fear” he said. “To me the only people who are not in fear now are white men.”
Independent councillor Mannix Flynn said he had also warned since the pandemic that far-right groups were infiltrating the inner city. They were not “protesters” he said but “criminals, lawbreakers, racists and hate speakers”.
Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam said those who had incited and perpetrated the violence last Thursday were thugs. “We need to go the full rigours of the law to pick those scumbags out and where they need to go is jail. No more soft approach.”
Asked later by Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste if he would be looking for assistance from the army, private security firms, or overseas police forces, Mr Harris said “I’m seeking a way in which we can, through assistance perhaps of other law enforcement agencies, advance this investigation but that is at the preliminary stages.”
