Bad behaviour at concerts is not just a recent phenomenon

DOESN’T every middle-aged and older generation think that things are worse now than they used to be?

Younger people don’t behave as their predecessors did, showing little or no respect for authority, or indeed for other people, often speaking publicly in a foul-mouthed way, dressing immodestly, consuming excessive alcohol and often behaving violently. Wouldn’t have happened in “our day“, would it, say many “older” people?

What happened at the Phoenix Park in Dublin last weekend was clearly a disgrace. At least nine people were stabbed at the Swedish House Mafia concert and three people who died subsequently are believed to have suffered the adverse consequences of the after-effects of the illegal drugs they had consumed. There were scores of arrests, reports of widespread drunkenness, visible consumption of dangerous drugs and much intimidating behaviour.

There were many reports of anti-social behaviour on the streets of the city centre prior to the concert and of the (unfortunately all too common) usual anti-social behaviour on the Red Line of the Luas public transport system. Parents coming out of Dublin Zoo with their children decided to delay their departure: the animals behind the cages might have been less dangerous than some of the humans they witnessed running free.

Wouldn’t have happened in the good old days, would it? Well, that’s not exactly true. Let’s not blame the current young generation as if it is an aberration compared to those of the past.

Who remembers what happens in Slane, Co Meath back in 1984. Bob Dylan was booked for a Sunday concert at the castle grounds but many people turned up the previous evening in advance of the event. They converged on the small local town — some estimated about 10,000 people were there — and the local pubs could not cope. There was a mass riot and it was another 15 years before another Sunday concert was allowed. This should be remembered by those who say that the type of music played by Swedish House Mafia — and the crowd it attracts — was the problem last Saturday. Dylan, after all, was one of the gurus of the era of musical “love and peace”.

When David Bowie played Slane in 1987 there was a drowning and two stabbings. Navan Hospital treated 57 people and a Drogheda hospital treated 46, with the St Johns Ambulance looking after a reported 350 people. I wonder how many of those who rioted or misbehaved last Saturday were children of those who had behaved similarly back in the 1980s? That is not to deny that we have a problem. But let’s not try to pretend it is a new one. Knife crime is not a new phenomenon.

As a teenager and then young adult in Cork in the 1980s I was always conscious of the threat and of being careful about where to go in the city, particularly late at night. A friend recently complained that, on the rare occasion he goes into the city now for a pint, that the streets are far more dangerous than they used to be. I had to remind him gently of how one night in the early 1990s he was the victim of an unprovoked attack in the small hours of the morning when he was hit from behind by a man wielding a crutch. He woke up in hospital the following day. That might account for him forgetting how things used to be.

It is entirely reasonable that as you advance in age you become more aware of such dangers and more anxious of them. Young people assume that they will not be victims of random attacks (and only the very unlucky usually are) and that, even if drunk, they will remain safe. Such confidence can be badly misplaced but most young people are optimistic, if wary of the “nutters” of whom they are all aware. Their parents, or at least the majority of them, who are responsible and experienced, are more fearful, with good reason.

It must be my advancing age but my tolerance for anti-social behaviour is reducing. Even if the problem is not new it should not be tolerated. So what can be done? There are underlying social problems — such as alcohol misuse, appalling parenting, poor education and social deprivation — that contribute significantly, and which need to be addressed seriously, but such things take time and money to solve. So, on behalf of those who behave themselves properly and who are entitled to the protection of the State from bad and violent behaviour, there should be greater requirement of the Government, Garda authorities and those who profit from the staging of such events to police them appropriately.

A zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour has to be considered because once anything is let go all tends to be let go. Tolerance begets bad behaviour.

What is wrong with the idea that anyone carrying a weapon, especially a knife, without valid explanation, should either be sent to prison for a period (if it can be shown that it was being carried with intent to cause harm) or be fined heavily (and in the event of not paying it, be detained)? If that person is a minor then his or her parent should be made responsible financially. There should be fines for a parent if an underage person is found to be in possession of alcohol and larger fines if that child is shown to be drunk or incapable of looking after himself or herself. Fines should be linked to ability to pay, but that does not mean that those in receipt of social welfare should be exempted from punishment.

In addition, why not have those who are convicted of public order offences forced to engage in community service work? Would it not be great to force those with such convictions to participate in the clean-up of Phoenix Park, which has been left in dreadful condition, and not just in the area of the concert, by the hordes who trampled over it? If any of those required to pick glass out of the grass swung the lead then the period of their detention to carry out this work could be extended.

We also need more visible policing at such events. The fear at many Irish events is that the Garda deliberately engage in light touch policing because they are afraid of things “kicking off” if they are seen to act strongly and that they would not then have the resources to act. This simply means more Garda presence and a better training of the available private security teams to act in support to them (although I share concerns about the suitability of many of those who are hired to work at events and their behaviour towards law-abiding people).

We also need a rational debate about alcohol consumption. We need a crackdown against those who are underage and clearly have consumed too much, but not against those who are able to drink responsibly and legally (such as those who go to the Electric Picnic each year for example).

The excessive price of alcohol at many events, compared to the price of buying it beforehand and smuggling it in, is an issue, as is the ability to get it without long queues (which also persuades people to bring their own and consume it in a rush).

And we need a wider debate about our national relationship with alcohol. Many of those young people being castigated for their behaviour have grown up watching their parents and grandparents acting drunkenly and loutishly (and increasingly so it is women who are as guilty as men in doing this).

These people are wrecking things for everyone else but it is a multi-generational issue, not a reason to just blame young people as if older generations are exempt from criticism.

* The Last Word with Matt Cooper is broadcast on 100-102 Today FM, Monday to Friday, 4.30pm to 7pm.