THE CEANN COMHAIRLE has said that politicians must bear some responsibility for the conspiracy theorist protest outside Leinster House on Wednesday which saw a gallows brought outside the building and abuse thrown at politicians.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl said that politicians need to be civil when debating each other to set the tone for politicial debate and protest in this country.
“We cannot expect the public to respect us as politicians if we don’t respect ourselves,” he said.
“So the conduct in the [Dáil] chamber needs to be always respectful. The conduct in TV and radio studios needs to be respectful of each other and of the diverse opinions that we’ve got.
“So are we partly to blame for this? Absolutely. Absolutely. If we don’t treat ourselves with respect, we can’t complain too much about the public not doing it, so we can show leadership in this area as well.”
Thirteen people have been arrested and charged in connection with Wednesday’s protest which marred the first day back at Leinster House following the summer recess.
Gardai had to move in as demonstrations saw entrances to Leinster House blocked and included a mock gallows featuring ministers and opposition TDs.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has been asked by Justice Minister Helen McEntee to carry out a review of security and protection for TDs, Senators and people working in Leinster House in light what happened.
The Ceann Comhairle told RTÉ One’s The Week in Politics programme that people were generally entitled to protest, but “they are not entitled to menace or threaten or abuse”.
“I am not under any illusions about what the public think about politics and politicians. We’re not held generally in very high regard. And yet, people appreciate the vital importance of democracy.”
On the same programme, Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman noted that protests “with this level of menace” have been happening across the country for two or three years outside refugee accommodation, at libraries and at LGBTQ events.
“And the people who’ve suffered those protests are far more vulnerable than TDs and Senators. So I think it’s really important in terms of our response that we’re not just looking at the situation outside of Leinster House, as important as that was.”
The Ceann Comhairle said that there have been efforts in recent years to get more people involved in politics, particularly from diverse backgrounds, but that protests such as the one on Wednesday could make people relucant to run for election.
“People see what happened and they say, “Oh my God, why would I want to go near that?”. So we cannot tolerate that. Democracy cannot tolerate it. Tolerating it will bring us eventually to where America arrived in the aftermath of the last presidential election at Capitol Hill, and nobody wants to go there.”
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