Garda plan for protests in place
A senior garda on Leeside has said plans are in place should protests take place outside of politician’s homes in Cork.
It comes as gardaí were over the weekend called to a protest at the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s home where it’s understood there were homophobic slurs and anti-vaccine messages.
At a Cork City Joint Policing Committee meeting this week, Fine Gael Cllr Shane O’Callaghan asked if gardaí on Leeside had specific plans to deal with such protests.
He said: “Given the extremely worrying scenes in Dublin in which the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s home was surrounded by a mob of far-right protestors in a very aggressive and intimidating manner and in which vile homophobic abuse was shouted at the Tánaiste’s home, do gardaí have a specific plan in place in Cork to deal with protestors and to deal with situations like this?”
He said he was asking the question due to that the fact that several high profile politicians live in Cork including An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.
Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin told the virtual JPC meeting: “We have extensive plans in place, and we have consulted with all in that respect. Without going into the operational side of it, I want to assure everybody that we have checks in place.
“We hope that nothing like that will happen, but we are always prepared for it. You never know what day or hour it might happen, but we have consulted with those involved and there is no issue there in that respect,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the protest outside the Fine Gael leader’s home was condemned by many politicians including opposition party Sinn Féin, whose leader Mary Lou McDonald said on Sunday: “The homophobic, bigoted intimidation witnessed at the home of Leo Varadkar today is outrageous and shameful. The perpetrators must be held to account.”
Sinn Féin Cork South Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said: “Reading about the protest about Leo Varadkar’s home. Protesting at someone’s home is reprehensible in and of itself. The added layer of homophobia that is plainly present makes it all the worse. There is no excuse nor justification.”
Fine Gael Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said: “Sickening, repulsive, disgusting behaviour outside the home of Leo Varadkar and Matt (his partner). It has no place in a democracy, must be condemned by all and called out for what it is. Efforts to dehumanise politicians contributes to this. Vile on so many levels.”