Irish Examiner view: We cannot protest crime with crime
Damage to the entrance of the Citywest Hotel. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
The first point to be made about the scenes outside an accommodation centre for international protection applicants at the Citywest complex is a simple one. The rioting, violence, and intimidation seen there are completely unacceptable.
The obvious contradiction worth pointing out is that a large crowd of people, supposedly protesting about an alleged crime, were themselves responsible for a riot which saw a Garda van being burnt and gardaí being attacked with implements which were clearly brought along for that purpose.
Protesting against a perceived lack of safety on our streets by committing crimes on our streets is a paradox which needs to be called out and punished with the full rigour of the law.
Legitimate peaceful protest is a valuable mechanism with which to express the public mood and to register democratic opposition.
Bringing fireworks to a demonstration to try to maim gardaí is thuggery, as stated by the Garda Commissioner.
The crowd which assembled in Saggart were on hand because of the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl recently: A man in his 20s has since been arrested and charged with the assault.
Naturally there has been widespread revulsion since the news broke, as evidenced by the comments of Tánaiste Simon Harris.
While condemning the violence against the gardaí, he also said: “There is understandable shock and horror right across our country over the alleged incident that is now before the courts. The full facts must and will be established, as people rightly expect.”
There are searching questions arising from this terrible event.
The 10-year-old was in the care of Tusla when she was assaulted.
The Taoiseach has said she was failed by the State and the minister for health has asked Tusla’s national review panel to begin an investigation of the case immediately.
That is the way to ensure a safer future for vulnerable children, not by running amok on the streets.
The Oireachtas housing committee heard very interesting evidence this week from a leading academic, who revealed stunning figures about the extent of dereliction in the country, but there were also hints at the potential of that derelict housing stock to transform Irish society.
Assistant professor Orla Murphy, of the UCD School of Architecture, Planning, and Environmental Policy, told the committee that 80,328 to 164,000 vacant and derelict residential properties exist in Ireland, based on census figures and other resources.
She added that at least 30,800 vacant commercial properties could be brought into use.
A question immediately arises about the precise totals, particularly if it is not clear if the total is as high as 164,000 or as low as 80,000. How can there be such uncertainty about so many properties? That said, the specific reference to vacant commercial properties is certainly eye-catching.
If over 30,000 such properties could be utilised, it could be a watershed moment in addressing our housing and homelessness problem — one of the most significant challenges facing the country.
Last month, it was estimated that more than 16,000 people are homeless in Ireland. This is a shocking indictment of our society. The fact that over 5,000 of those homeless people are children should shame all of us.
It was interesting that at the Oireachtas committee hearings this week several politicians struck a relatively bellicose note, calling for more aggression when it comes to compulsory purchase orders and stating that there was “too much carrot and too little stick” when it came to dealing with the owners of these vacant and derelict properties.
While it is encouraging to hear such energetic rhetoric, it is reasonable to ask why a more forceful approach has not been taken up to now.
Legislators, local politicians, successive ministers in various departments, municipal authorities all over Ireland, and a variety of State agencies must all bear some of the blame for the blight of dereliction which can be seen in every village, town, and city in Ireland.
Most of the blame, of course, lies with those property owners who are content to help destroy the fabric of our built environment.
Such people have proven impervious to criticism up to now, however, and seem unlikely to change any time soon.
Halloween is approaching, and a little like other feasts in the calendar which used to be confined to one day, it seems to have been approaching for a couple of weeks at least.
Still, it is a great opportunity for children in particular to indulge in enjoyable thrills and age-appropriate frights.
All of which makes a warning from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) even more timely.
The CCPC’s officers have inspected hundreds of products and engaged with toy sellers and businesses all across the country, and the results are stark.
More than 25,000 unsafe toys, including costumes and props, have been recalled or removed from the market since October last year for failing to meet safety standards.
As a result, the commission encourages parents to stay abreast of product recalls and other developments on its website, and to follow its safety check procedure for Halloween products.
This includes looking for the CE mark, checking for small parts, and avoiding costumes with long strings or cords.
The advice is worth taking — no one wants to spend Halloween waiting to be seen in an accident and emergency ward.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
