On Saturday, we saw a violent anti-lockdown protest on the streets of Dublin. This protest had the far right at its core, exploiting the widespread frustration people feel about lockdown and the failure of the Government to give people hope in its strategy to eliminate the virus. The far right tried to tap into people's real anxieties and fears. In reality, those groups want to see an end to democratic rights, the smashing of trade unions and brutal oppression of women, LGBTQ people, migrants, Travellers and others.

What was the response of the establishment in this State? The Garda Commissioner incredibly and falsely claimed that both the far right and far left were involved, which was a gift to the misinformation campaigns of the far right. When he was forced to retract that claim, he still wrongly maintained that there had been initial indications that the far left had been involved. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, stated that it was important not to get caught up in who was involved. Does the Government agree that it is important to call out the responsibility of the far right and that the Garda Commissioner made a major mistake in confusing matters?

I thank the gardaí on the work they did. They faced much provocation, some of which was premeditated, from what I saw. There were many agitators about the place. I refer to those who are anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown. I do not buy the argument that those driving the anti-lockdown protest were doing so just because they were fed up. Clearly, co-ordinated positions were adopted, perhaps not by everybody but by significant numbers. The aggression and hostility directed toward the gardaí was unacceptable.

The gathering of such groups in the first instance is unacceptable because it can spread the disease. The spreading of the disease risks causing severe illness among many people, including our senior citizens, and this can also lead to deaths. That is why mass gatherings are unacceptable. I think the Commissioner clarified his remarks. A range of conspiracy and far right groups seem to have been involved. Their behaviour was unacceptable and I again pay tribute to the gardaí.