Gannon calls for Harris to resign

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has called on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to resign. 

Gannon’s comments come in the wake of riots that took place in Dublin on Thursday evening and a press conference from Harris on Friday morning where he claimed gardaí were as well prepared as they could to deal with the events that took place.

Gannon said  “last night’s shocking events are the result of an absence of leadership – from both Garda management and Justice Minister Helen McEntee – there was lack of planning or preparedness, inadequate resources and insufficient training.”

“There must be accountability for these failures.”

He called out what he dubbed a “lack of preparedness” that “endangered” rank-and-file gardaí.

Gannon said that at times last night, members of the gardaí were at times “completely outnumbered, surrounded and viciously attacked by these thugs.”

“The central core of the city was effectively lawless and prominent businesses were looted while buses, Luas carriages and garda vehicles were set ablaze.”

Gannon, a TD for Dublin Central, said he has long called out the rise of the far-right as well as the problems of violence and anti-social behaviour in the inner city for at least 18 months.

He accused Harris of “appeasing” the far-right, which he said “has not worked and is now utterly discredited.”

At a conference on Friday morning, Harris said “I think we’ve seen an element of radicalisation. We’ve seen a group of people who take literally a thimble full of facts, a bathtub of hateful assumptions and then conduct themselves in a way that is riotous and disruptive to our society.”

Gannon said “this level of wanton thuggery and criminality needs a far stronger policing response – not the kid glove approach adopted on this Commissioner’s watch.”

“Despite the increased prevalence of far-right groups, the Commissioner has continued to take a softly-softly approach to this very real threat to law and order – an approach that blew up in his face in Dublin city centre last night.”

Gannon referenced the recent vote by rank-and-file members of the gardaí that voted no confidence in Harris, with 98.7% of those balloted expressing no confidence in Harris’ leadership.

The results of the ballot were ignored by Harris, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

““It is little over two months since rank-and-file gardaí in the GRA overwhelmingly voted no confidence in the Commissioner – Thursday’s shameful events show that this lack of confidence was not misplaced,” he said.

Gannon said that the riots “must be a watershed moment” in how Ireland responds to violence.

“I have lost all confidence in Drew Harris’ ability to do that,” he said, and also expressed concern over McEntee’s performance.

“The Minister must now explain why, given the violent mayhem in Dublin last night, she should remain in her role – and she must come into the Dáil at the earliest opportunity and do that..”