*Protestors at a blockade on the M18. Photograph: Joe Buckley
COMMENTS during the fuel protest last month where he threatened to deploy the Army have been defended by the Minister for Justice.
Amid the height of the protests in April, Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan (FF) came under fire for a statement which outlined that the assistance of the Defence Forces had been “requested”.
His statement from the time stressed “the blocking of critical national infrastructure” would not be “permitted” and added, “denying people access to fuel and clean water is an unacceptable interference in the most basic of human rights”.
When asked by The Clare Echo if he would have done anything differently with his response during the fuel crisis protest, the Minister stated, “No I wouldn’t actually. When you look back on it, it was a difficult time in terms of the country but had it progressed and if there was no fuel in the garages around the country or if there was no bread on the shelves of the supermarkets and if the Gardaí had not gone in I would have been the person politically responsible for that, people would have legitimately said to me, you are not doing your job.
“I want to commend the Gardaí and the Defence Forces for what they did, there was some criticism of the fact that I mentioned the Gardaí had requested the assistance of the Defence Forces, that was correct, maybe I should not tell the truth and not be transparent, it is important to state what is the situation on the ground, had I not done that and had people spotted the Army on the Saturday then people would asking who ordered in the Army and why we weren’t told about it”.
Minister O’Callaghan told The Clare Echo, “I don’t care whether it has or hasn’t” on whether his response weakened his chances of becoming Fianna Fáil leader in the future.
Confidence in the current leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin (FF) was voiced by the Dublin Bay South TD. “I think Micheál is doing a very good job actually, Fianna Fái is in a very strong position, it is a really important weekend for myself, Cathal and Timmy, we will be up in Dublin later on. It is a remarkable political institution Fianna Fáil, I won’t give you a political broadcast because you won’t publish it but it is a remarkably successful political party when you look back on the one hundred years”.
Controversial comments from former Taoiseach and ex Fianna Fáil leader, Bertie Ahern (FF) this week where he told a canvasser in Dublin Central he “worries about Africans” and that there are “too many” migrants coming into Ireland were also put to the Minister. “I don’t believe Bertie Ahern is a racist, listening to his comments they were probably inappropriate in that you are better off not identifying certain nationalities as being less favourable than others, when I am dealing with the issue of emigration, I seek to deal with it on a principled basis in terms of a system which is fair but firm and having a rules based system,” O’Callaghan stated.
