Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he was “horrified” by a “chilling” protest by masked men outside Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s home.
He also said he was “deeply uncomfortable that the situation was allowed to develop”.
Gardaí were called on Thursday night following reports of up to 12 masked men staging a protest, some with anti-migration placards and banners, outside the property.
Mr Harris said he spoke to Mr O’Gorman of the Green Party in the Coalition Government about the situation on Friday morning.
“I was utterly horrified to see the situation,” he told media in Co Carlow.
“We all recognise the right to protest in a democracy but to see masked people gathering outside somebody’s family home, I think that is extraordinarily chilling and quite frankly disgusting.
“I know that the gardaí have to assess each of these situations, and as Taoiseach I don’t wish to interfere in that. However, I feel deeply uncomfortable that the situation was allowed to develop outside the home of any person quite frankly, public figure or otherwise, government or opposition, and I hope in due course to have an opportunity to discuss this with gardaí.”
Asked whether he as worried about the “trajectory of this”, given former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had seen protests outside his home last year, Mr Harris said he is “worried to see an increase in the presence of people gathering outside people’s family homes”.
“I think that is chilling in a democracy. I think it is worrying, I think it is disturbing,” he said.
“Of course we see political discourse but there is an appropriate way to debate and raise issues, in the Dail, in council chambers, plenty of places to protest around Dáil Éireann, constituency offices and the likes.
“But I also don’t want to suggest that these people, small in number, speak for Ireland.
“My experience as a public representative, at a whole variety of levels in this country, has been that the overwhelming majority of people in this country – agree or disagree with your politics – are decent people.”
