Simon Harris slams 'abhorrent hijacking' of Irish flag by anti-migrant protestors 

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Justice Minister Simon Harris at the opening of An Garda Síochána's new regional office for the Dublin Metropolitan Area at Dublin Castle. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

Justice Minister Simon Harris said the “hijacking” of the Irish flag by anti-migrant protestors was “abhorrent” and that gardaí are facing a “difficult environment”.

Noting there have been more than 125 anti-migrant protests this year in Dublin, Mr Harris said gardaí were being regularly provoked with cameras in their faces and he raised the prospect of harsher sentences for assaults on frontline members of the force.

“While we all respect people’s right to peaceful protest, there have been incidents where criminal activity has crept into these protests and we must never accept that,” he said. 

“There is a very clear line between protest and intimidation."

Mr Harris described scenes in Santry in Dublin on Sunday during which asylum-seekers were blocked from their accommodation as “abhorrent” and “despicable”.

He said the Irish flag, which “represents peace and inclusion”, was “hijacked” by several individuals. 

“You cannot impede somebody going about their life, going about their business and the scenes that we saw in Santry at the weekend are utterly unacceptable, reprehensible. They don’t own our flag,” he said.

He said those in Santry caused “chaos and difficulty” amid intensive efforts to source accommodation for those seeking international protection, with gardaí left in “difficult situations”.

Speaking at the opening of the new regional office for the Dublin Metropolitan Area in Dublin Castle, Mr Harris noted plans to pass legislation for body cams “so that our gardaí are not the only people at the protests without cameras”. 

He also outlined plans to increase the maximum sentence from seven years to 12 for assaults on gardaí, which would include the ramming of a garda vehicle.

Mr Harris said standards in the recruitment process within An Garda Síochána would not be lowered like in other jurisdictions, adding it was important to not “cut any corners” in terms of the fitness and medical tests as well as vetting.

“We’ve seen what can happen in other jurisdictions when you do, for the sake of political expediency, reduce any of those standards,” he said.

The latest recruitment campaign gathered 4,973 applications compared to 11,075 in 2022. However, Mr Harris said there were 5,000 substantive applications in 2022, the first post-covid campaign, compared to 4,800 this year.

Mr Harris said he was satisfied there are still thousands of men and women who wish to become gardaí, “despite the difficulties and challenges that gardaí face”.