It was wrong to stand down the Garda public order unit from a site which was later subjected to arson, the Garda Commissioner has conceded.
The site of the former Crown Paints Factory in Coolock, Dublin, was subjected to a blockade for more than 100 days after it was earmarked for use to accommodate asylum seekers.
In the early hours of July 15th, the public order unit assisted the owner of the site regain access to the property.
He was accompanied by security and maintenance workers. The public order unit left the scene hours later.
Soon thereafter, tensions escalated at the site and a digger and mattresses were burned.
The public order unit was later redeployed to the site but security staff at the building had been injured during the intervening period.
Thirty-four people have been arrested and 26 people have appeared before the courts charged with alleged offences.
Speaking on Friday, Commissioner Drew Harris said: “The public order unit was on duty, it was stood down at 7am.
“In hindsight, that was not the right decision. We’ve accepted that, and that’s already been covered with the Policing Authority.”
RTÉ Investigates broadcast footage from the unrest on Thursday night. Commissioner Harris said the footage was “very disturbing”.
The programme shows workers at the site expressing frustration in the response time of gardaí to their calls for assistance, following shouts of racist abuse and the throwing of projectiles.
The Commissioner said: “When calls for assistance did go out, they were responded to.
“Gardaí from across city did respond and and acted with great professionalism in keeping the situation calm until public order units arrived as well.”
He added: “Some of the footage is revealing in terms of at the start there was only three gardaí and then their numbers were significantly added to.
“You can see, again, in the footage that an inspector is on the ground and is in charge of the situation in terms of the personnel that he has there at that moment in time.
“But they were supplemented as soon as possible with public order support and a public order commander.”
Asked if there would be prosecutions in relation to death threats and racist abuse shown in the programme, the commissioner said the broadcast was the first time he had seen the footage, adding that An Garda Síochána “would be very anxious to obtain that footage for evidential purposes”.
He added: “There can only be prosecutions in respect of alleged evidence if we have the evidence.”
Pressed on whether gardaí had sought the footage contained in the programme that was captured by sources other than RTÉ, he said gardaí had no knowledge of the body-worn footage until recently.
He added: “It does not help us that eight weeks later we are finding so much evidence that we haven’t had sight of before.”
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said reaction should “never be to blame the gardaí”.
Simon Harris told reporters: “I fully support the Garda and their work.”
He said the footage displayed abuse that gardaí, workers and journalists face, and called the level of abuse “utterly, utterly despicable”.
Asked about whether gardaí were taking a “hands off” approach, Mr Harris said: “I thought last night we got a real insight into some of the thuggery, racism, and utter blatant disrespect for the laws of the land.
“I think in that context, the reaction should never be to blame the gardaí. This is thuggery that the gardaí had to confront.”
He added: “I do think it’s fair to say that the gardaí have been continually monitoring this and considering how best to respond to these situations.
“And I think it is important to acknowledge that they probably further advanced their thinking on their operations since perhaps some of that footage was filmed.”
