Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has called on anyone with information about a recent spate of arson attacks carried out on premises either earmarked or rumoured to be earmarked as asylum accommodation to come forward.
Addressing the Dáil this afternoon she said that arson was a “serious criminal matter” and that she was liaising with the Garda Commissioner on an ongoing basis as the recent incidents continue to be investigated by Gardaí.
Comparing the seriousness of arson to murder, McEntee said that the maximum sentence for arson attack was life in prison where a life was lost as a result of a blaze deliberately started.
The minister said an incident room had been established by Gardaí in respect of each recent suspected arson attack.
“Against that backdrop, again, I want to make clear that people have the right to protest or they have a right to question, to discuss decisions and changes that have an impact on our country. Nobody absolutely nobody has the right to take action that causes others to fear for their safety in a way that threatens public order.” she said.
“Nobody has the right to intimidate or to damage property of others. Nobody has the right to set fire to somebody else’s property to do so or to support those who do this is an extremely serious criminal matter.”
McEntee continued that the Garda Commissioner had assured her that “each and every one of these arson attacks are being treated with the utmost seriousness, and all necessary resources and skills are being provided for the investigations.” and that a senior investigating officer has been assigned” and “the same approach adopted for example in relation to incidents of murder,” where individual incident rooms are set up.
The minister said it was “a very small group of people” who were behind the recent fires saying that anyone withholding information was “complicit in these crimes”.
Turning to policing of protests, McEntee said that An Garda Síochána had “successfully policed almost 800 protests across the country in 2023” adding that the “vast majority” of these protests “went off without serious incident without criminal damage to property,”.
In relation to Garda recruitment the minister said that she was pleased to learn that 40% of those who applied to enter the force were between the ages of 35-49 years after the age cap on recruitment was lifted.
The recent Garda recruitment campaign saw almost 6,400 people applying for the force with McEntee saying she was “glad” to see that over 30% of these were women.
She said the “crucial introduction” of body worn cameras “is being accelerated” and that cameras will be worn by Gardaí in Dublin and Waterford and Limerick with Dublin being first on the list.
Turning to what she called a “spread of hatred online” McEntee said her department and An Garda Síochana will “investigate the role of relevant online activity.”
“They are proactively looking at material online.” she said
“Dealing with harmful and illegal content online was a key priority in the program for government which committed to a new Online Safety Commissioner being established. I, and I think, all of my colleagues are clear that the era of self regulation for online platforms is over.”
“Minister Martin has now established Coimisiún na Meán to regulate online media, including enforcing rules about how online service platforms should deal with harmful and illegal content on their services.”
“Minister Martin is also overseeing the process to develop a national counter disinformation strategy and this will be published this year.” she said adding that her department is carrying out significant work in an effort to protect young people “against becoming seduced and radicalised by extremist elements online.”
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman said, “I think we can have conversations about migration about immigration, and we can debate it and we can hold different views. And equally, the government has an important role in terms of providing accurate, factual, timely information to public representatives.”
He said that accurate and timely information was needed to “allay concerns” over the placement of asylum accommodation centres saying that it was “it’s really important that we make it clear the international protection process is a rules based process.”
“International protection means fairly and humanely in examining a person’s application for international protection, sheltering and supporting people while their application has been processed and giving people the right to stay here where that right to stay is needed.”
Where it is found that they don’t have a basis for the claim “they won’t be allowed to stay in this country.” he said.
Saying that IP applicants must make their applications for international protection at the IP office he said that they’re “fingerprinted they’re photographed, those fingerprints are checked against the EURODAC and EU immigration database which stores the fingerprints of asylum applicants and those who cross borders illegally, and character and conduct checks are undertaken by an Garda Síocháma at the point where consideration has been given to someone being granted refugee status or other permissions to remain in the state.”
Turning to the recent arson attacks he said these were “antithetical to the democratic process” are “deeply sinister.”
“They’re designed to intimidate and they’re designed to threaten the normal functioning of government and the normal functioning of this state.” he said adding that this was “violent extremism” which is being “drip fed” by “disinformation” and “misinformation”.
Addressing the pressures on the government in housing the 100,000 Ukrainians who have come to Ireland since March 2022 he said, “As we continue to respond to a very severe accommodation crisis faced by the state. We continue to liaise closely with accommodation providers and with An Garda Síochána in order to provide safety and security for international protection applicants and for local communities.”
Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly said ‘misinformation’ was being spread on social media platforms and that there was a “problem in the community with people looking at material online not only on the social media platforms, but also on WhatsApp.”
He said it was “depressing” to read messages sent to him which contain not only “disinformation” but also “misinformation”, and “hearsay”.
Daly said there is a “lack of critical media thinking” skills among Irish people which was not limited to the young but was also affecting people in their “40s 50s and 60s” whereby messages spread on social media were being “passed on as fact”.
He suggested that the government intervene to address the issue saying, “I think maybe the government could have a program or an information campaign as to what is actually evidence and what isn’t.”
Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin slammed the government and “the audacity of the Irish” saying it was “stunningly hypocritical” of them to talk about deportations and a “crackdown on illegal immigration” when they would be asking for the good favour of the US president in respect of the undocumented Irish in the US.
He called those who had set fire to buildings earmarked as accommodation for international protection applicants “domestic terrorists” saying any officials who give “succour” to those people should be “hauled up”.