Coppinger should apologise for garda slur

The spectacle of members of An Garda Síochána being described by Deputy Ruth Coppinger on the floor of Dáil Éireann as ‘dogs’ was intolerable, demeaning and cowardly. 

It was also a contemptible abuse of parliamentary decorum, public trust and the code of conduct applying to members of the Oireachtas.

A trusted and decent police service is the bulwark between a civilized society and barbarity.