Taoiseach 'frustrated' protests outside politicians' homes ongoing since 2019

Taoiseach Simon Harris has admitted that he is “frustrated” that protests outside politicians’ homes have been continuing since 2019 as he called for clarity on whether new laws were needed.

However, he denied that his frustration lies with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, despite the Taoiseach questioning if Gardaí feel “disempowered”.

It comes following the condemnation of a protest outside Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s home in west Dublin last week.

Up to a dozen men, some of whom had their faces covered with masks or balaclavas, gathered outside the Green Party TD’s home in Blanchardstown last Thursday evening. Several banners and signs were hung from the front gate and railings.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, the Taoiseach said that protests outside politicians’ homes are “not new” and is something that has been “festering for a number of years”. He noted that protests took place outside his own home in Greystones, Co Wicklow, as early as 2019, as well as outside the homes of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman

He said he will now seek clarity on whether news laws are required or if existing laws are not being enforced strongly enough.

“I’m a little frustrated here, to put it mildly,” Mr Harris said.

“I’m a little frustrated that this is going on for too long. It’s been a long time since [2019] when people were outside my home.

“This is going on for a very long time now and I worry that there’s a worsening of what we’re actually seeing.

“No [I am not frustrated with the Garda Commissioner]. Let me be very clear.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris

“I want to have a very clear answer right now, as the leader of the government do we need new laws? If we do, let’s get on with it.

“If we don’t need new laws, how do we ensure that the existing laws are better enforced?”

Mr Harris admitted that he questioned whether “Gardaí are feeling sometimes disempowered” when it comes to enforcing laws.

Asked if he believed that they were “afraid”, Mr Harris said that he was not going to speak on behalf of every Garda.

He added: “I want the Gardaí to have absolute clarity that when they get a call to an incident, that this State has their back in terms of the enforcement”.

Elsewhere, Mr Harris vowed that hate speech legislation will be passed before the end of this Government’s term in March 2025.

He stated that people have asked “legitimate questions” about freedom of speech and “definitions” as he indicated that Justice Minister Helen McEntee will “bring forward proposals to the three coalition leaders in the next few weeks”.