LAST UPDATE | 16 Jul 2024

TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has condemned the violent scenes in Coolock last night, where 19 people were arrested outside a site earmarked for the accommodation of asylum seekers. 

Harris has rejected the idea that the disturbance was caused by a lack of engagement on the part of the Government with the local community. 

“What we saw last night was absolutely nothing to do with engagement with the local community about migration policy,” said Harris.

“Everybody knew this facility was going to be used to provide shelter for migrants. People can agree or disagree. But no amount of community engagement is required to tell somebody not to throw a brick, not to set a digger on fire, not to harm a security guard not to put the men and women of An Garda Síochána it in danger,” Harris said. 

“I’ve had it up to here with this whataboutery, we will continue to communicate better with communities, for decent people across the country who want to talk about legitimate issues. There’s such a role for that.”

He said that every community has the right to be engaged with when it comes to accepting asylum seekers.

“What we saw last night was such a distance away from a question about community engagement. It was sheer thuggery that should be called out as such.”

Harris added that “one of the most encouraging things that happened last night was local people in Coolock calling for calm”.

“Local people in Coolock said, ‘this ain’t us’.”

The Taoiseach also thanked the gardaí for their “very swift action” in “very difficult circumstances”.

He added that he was pleased to see “the benefit of the body cams” worn by gardaí, “because I’ve no doubt that would have been very helpful in gathering important evidence”.

Meanwhile, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said there is “no excuse” for the actions that happened last night, and added that local reps were engaged in late March. 

O’Gorman added that a meeting was convened in April regarding the site. 

“Very detailed information has been in the public domain for a very considerable period of time,” said O’Gorman of the Coolock site.

Independent Dublin City councillor John Lyons told RTÉ that representatives had one meeting with the Department of Integration in March but had not met with anyone from Government since then. 

Fianna Fail councillor Daryl Barron said that while he “outrightly” condemned the violence seen yesterday but said his community had not been engaged by the Government.

“The lack of transparency, the lack of communication with community groups hasn’t been good enough,” Barron said. “And that in itself is where a certain element of society is feeding off.”

“The lack of information out there is causing people a bit of anxiety,” he said on Morning Ireland.

“This is not an issue of community engagement,” the Taoiseach said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“This is an issue of a relatively small number of people who think that they have a right to do whatever the hell they like in this country, who show absolute disdain for the laws of our land disdain in for the men and women of An Garda Síochána, disdain and disrespect for people going out and doing a day’s work.”

He specifically mentioned the security guard who was injured yesterday, who he said “went to work to earn a living to support his family and he ended up seeing a situation where his digger was set on fire”.

“So you’ll excuse my lack of tolerance for any discussion around with a bit more engagement have assisted in this situation.”

Harris also criticised descriptions of those who gathered outside the former Crown Paints factory, where fires were lit and projectiles thrown at gardaí, as protesters. 

“I must say, I’m somewhat perplexed that this morning I still hear in media and political discourse, a reference to protesters,” Harris said. 

“Just to be very clear, when you decide to use a petrol bomb, you lose your right to be called a protester.

“And I’m not quite sure why we have decided to in any manner or means legitimise in any way, shape or form the actions of people who engaged in shear thuggery yesterday evening and tried to harm the men and women of An Garda Síochána, disrupt a community and cause utter chaos.” 

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