Shatter: Park gig promoter must apologise

Security at the controversial weekend concert in Dublin’s Phoenix Park may have been more focused on driving up the promoters’ profits than protecting those who attended, Alan Shatter has said.

The justice minister suggested security personnel may have concentrated on preventing people bringing in drink so as to ensure more alcohol was bought at the concert, so that the “commercial benefit” to promoters from the alcohol being sold at the concert was not reduced.

By contrast, not enough had been done to tackle disorder, he suggested.

“I personally received reports of drugs being openly sold during the concert event and no intervention by the security people who were supposed to be providing security,” he told the Dáil yesterday.

Mr Shatter said that MCD, the promoters of the concert, “should apologise” for the level of disorder.

He said security arrangements were “clearly inadequate” and he expressed concern about the way the concert had been licensed.

His comments came as a government backbencher demanded the arrest of MCD’s directors.

“I believe they should have been arrested as early as Sunday morning given the fallout of this particular concert,” said Labour TD Eamonn Maloney.

The two were speaking during a Dáil debate on the concert. The event took place on Saturday and featured electronic dance act Swedish House Mafia. Nine people were stabbed or slashed during it, two died as a result of suspected drug use, and 33 arrests were made.

Mr Moloney, Fine Gael TD Derek Keating, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, and Independent TD Patrick Nulty all raised questions about the security arrangements in place.

Mr Shatter said the Garda Commissioner was conducting a review and he did not want to say anything that could prejudice criminal proceedings as several people were facing charges.

However, the minister proceeded to express his own concerns about the manner in which the concert had been handled.

Mr Shatter said MCD had 511 security personnel present on the night, a number which actually exceeded the licensing requirements.

Nonetheless, he suggested it had been inadequate given the nature of the event, which he said could be described “as a rave”.

He expressed concern that the licensing authority, Dublin City Council, “didn’t have adequate regard” to the nature of the event in advance. And he suggested security did not do enough.

“I’m not convinced that enough was done to ensure those who were seriously inebriated prior to the concert, or those who were clearly and visibly under the influence of drugs, were excluded from the concert.”

Mr Shatter said the Garda had 158 members present on Saturday compared with 122 for concerts in the Phoenix Park on Friday and Sunday. He said he was expecting recommendations in the commissioner’s review and would act quickly once he had received the report.