Thirteen people were arrested over the course of the day in connection with public order incidents in and around Government Buildings.
Gardaí say that 11 of those detained – nine men and two women – have been charged and are due in court at a later date.
Earlier, two other men appeared in court on public order charges.
Gardaí say that a senior investigating officer has been appointed to coordinate and investigate the circumstances regarding the incidents around Government Buildings yesterday.
TDs and senators were escorted by gardaí out of Leinster House due to the demonstrations.
Politicians were told not to leave the complex at one point yesterday afternoon as there were protests at both entrances.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae had to be escorted down Kildare Street while surrounded by demonstrators, and his assistant had her mobile phone stolen.
Sinn Féin education spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire also had to be escorted by gardaí while he was heckled.
Both men said afterwards that they would not be deterred from doing their jobs.
On social media, Mr Healy-Rae said: “I come to Dublin to represent the good people of this country. Nothing will ever deter me from doing my job. I’ve no issue with protesting, never have, never will, but you can see the videos circulating and judge for yourselves if that behaviour and use of language is acceptable.”
In an interview, Mr Ó Laoghaire said: “I’m very proud to be elected by the people of Cork South Central – my home city – and nobody will deter me from coming in here to do my job.”
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations which have raised concerns among politicians who are increasingly worried about more aggressive demonstrations.
Politicians, Oireachtas staff and members of the media were subjected to threats.
The issue has been raised with the Houses of the Oireachtas and gardaí.
Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Jerry Buttimer called for a policing plan to guarantee politicians access to both sides of Leinster House.
“No member or staff should be prevented from leaving their work or subjected to vitriolic behaviour,” he said.
Senator Buttimer added that staff at Leinster House feared injury or harm and were very upset.
“The perimeter at Kildare Street and Merrion Street must be a sterilised zone and it’s important now that the Oireachtas, gardaí and city council sit down and prepare a policing plan,” he said.
In a statement, gardaí said that a policing operation was put in place to facilitate the resumption of the 33rd Dáil.
“On a number of occasions gardaí were required to intervene during public order incidents which occurred on Molesworth Street, Kildare Street and Merrion Street,” it said.
“Regular uniform gardaí were supported by plain clothes units and the Public Order Unit in ‘soft cap’ mode.
“In total 13 arrests were made over the course of today connected with incidents in the vicinity of Government Buildings,” the statement added.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the disturbing imagery of a gallows held by protesters as “reprehensible”.
Some politicians expressed annoyance that they were unable to attend a party colleague’s removal as they could not leave the complex.
Barriers on Kildare Street remained in place this evening amid tight security.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was important in a democracy to respect the right to protest but there were limitations to any right.
Speaking in New York where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Varadkar said it was very important that Ireland’s parliament was secure and that security at Leinster House was currently lighter than most places he had visited around the world.
He said this was a good thing to be accessible to the public but there was a need to make sure elected representatives were safe in the work they do.
Meanwhile, Senator Barry Ward has written to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris following the Leinster House protest.
In his letter, he said that the time had come for the gardaí to “step up and protect our democracy”.
He said public representatives should never be “jostled, harassed or intimidated the way they were today”.
Govt against SF motion on mortgage interest relief
As the Dáíl returned, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion calling for the introduction of targeted mortgage interest relief for a limited period.
However, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney said the Government would address the issue on Budget day in three weeks’ time.
He said the Ministers for Finance and Social Protection were working out how to support mortgage holders after ten interest rate rises from the European Central Bank.
Mr Coveney said any measures would be “targeted”.
He was responding to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald who said many homeowners were facing additional payments of €3,000 to €6,000 per annum due to higher interest rates.
She said the situation was worse for people whose mortgages were bought by “vulture funds” who had been “thrown to the wolves”.
At the same time she said, the banks had made profits of €5bn.
She called on the minister to tell homeowners how the Government would intervene.
Minister Coveney said: “Homeowners do have a right to hear. The day to do that will be on Budget night. And we will do that.”
A Sinn Féin motion that seeks to provide mortgage interest relief of up to €1,500 a year was debated in the Dáil this evening.
The Government plans to vote against a Sinn Féin motion which calls for the introduction of targeted mortgage interest for a limited period.
Speaking at Leaders’ Questions Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney said the Government will address the issue on Budget day. pic.twitter.com/g2XgpBYdSX
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 20, 2023
Housing is also on the Dáil agenda this week with a Social Democrats motion calling for a target of 10,000 cost-rental and affordable homes to be delivered every year. The Government will oppose the motion.
The party is also seeking to reinstate the ban on no-fault evictions.
There’s an Autumnal air around Leinster House this morning for the return of the Dáil @rtenews pic.twitter.com/kWFT6BgYMe
— Colm Mc Caughey (@colmwhatyalike) September 20, 2023
Socialist TD Mick Barry said the country is crying out for real change and there must be a Budget for the millions and not the millionaires.
The Cork North Central TD said the charity, Cork Penny Dinners is now having to provide food in schools and crèches in the city through what are called “food libraries”.
He added that people want the USC abolished and the State could make up the revenue difference by taxing wealth.
Minister Simon Coveney promised that the cost of living will be prioritised in the Budget.
‘False hope’ for farmers – Cairns
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns accused the Taoiseach of “misleading farmers and giving them false hope”.
She told the Dáil that “the least” that Fine Gael owes farmers “is honesty”, rather than scoring “political points” at the “expense of their coalition partners”.
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions, Deputy Cairns said that, on Friday, we saw the Taoiseach “contradict the Agriculture Minister by going over his head and suggesting that the EU decision to reduce the nitrates derogation could be revisited”.
She also said that “now we’re feeling all of the repercussions of that incredible negligence”, referring to Simon Coveney’s performance as Minister for Agriculture, when he was “the architect… of the policy of limitless expansion in the dairy sector that was perceived when you lifted the milk quotas”.
“Your policy was not to consider environmental constraints. A policy of the sky’s the limit – the inevitable consequences weren’t a concern for you,” Deputy Cairns said.
Minister Coveney defended his track record, and insisted that he would not let Deputy Cairns “drive a wedge between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on this issue”, prompting gales of laughter and derisory calls from the Opposition benches.
“Stop behaving like children”, the Ceann Comhairle said.
‘Critical situation’ for private nursing homes – Harkin
Independent TD Marian Harkin appealed for Government action to tackle the closure of private and voluntary nursing homes which she said is hitting rural areas hardest.
She noted the “critical situation that’s currently being faced by very many private and voluntary nursing homes across the country that provide care for over 25,000 people in over 400 locations, and they provide 80% of all nursing home care”.
In the past three years, “31 private and voluntary nursing homes have closed… with a loss of 915 beds”, she said.
“Many in my own constituency are hanging on by a thread”, the Sligo-Leitrim deputy added.
Deputy Harkin cited PwC research which “shows that private and voluntary nursing homes receive approximately €600 less per resident per week than their HSE counterparts”.
For a 40-bed facility “that would be about €1.25m less… than a similar HSE facility under fair deal”.
Minister Simon Coveney insisted that the Government had provided “substantial support to the private and voluntary nursing home sector” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister pointed out that “baseline” payments per bed have increased by 6-7%, and pointed to an increase in bed capacity last year of 112 registered beds, and 220 so far this year.
Additional reporting Joan O’Sullivan, Mícheál Lehane
