SINN FÉIN FINANCE spokesperson Pearse Doherty has said Justice Minister Helen McEntee should resign or the Taoiseach ‘should act’, and if not Sinn Féin will ‘consider all our options’ in relation to a motion of no confidence.
Doherty was speaking to RTÉ’s The Week in Politics following his party leader Mary Lou McDonald saying she had no confidence in Minister McEntee or Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Friday.
McDonald made the statements following Thursday night’s scenes of serious unrest in Dublin, after four people were injured in a stabbing incident in the city centre, including small children. Her statement came following similar expressions of no confidence from the Social Democrats.
The Government has come under serious criticism and pressure following the violence, with the incidents receiving widespread international attention. McEntee has said that she would not be stepping down, and has defended Garda resourcing.
Speaking today, Doherty said the Government needed to recognise that there was an issue with garda resources, and criticised Fine Gael’s record on policing.
“We’ve had ministers come on the radios and on RTÉ over the last number of days saying that the gardaí didn’t lose control of Dublin City,” he said.
“You know, this is at a time when the Luas was burning, when buses were burning. When Garda cars were being set alight, when gardaí were in retreat, and where for hours it was a no go zone.
That’s the reality of it. Now, if you have a Minister for Justice who thinks that there’s enough personnel, that the gardaí are adequately resourced… because the gardaí were left in a terrible, terrible position… then that minister is not the person to deal with it, that Garda Commissioner is not the person to deal with it.
When asked if Sinn Féin would be tabling a motion of no confidence in the minister in the Dáil, Doherty said that “the first thing” that should happen is that McEntee should resign.
“If she refuses to do that, then it is up to the Taoiseach. It is up to the Taoiseach,” he said.
“Look, there’s a fundamental issue here in terms of government, the government has a duty to try and keep people safe.
That didn’t happen on Thursday, and it’s a result of government policy. So if the Taoiseach does not act, then we will consider all of our options in relation to motions and other issues.
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