Justice Minister Helen McEntee has stated that she wants laws prohibiting the wearing of masks and balaclavas at rallies to be put in place as soon as possible, reports RTE.
Ms. McEntee claimed that the gardaÃ’s job is becoming harder due to the intimidation and fear that the hiding of identities is creating.
The suggestion is a reaction to an increase in violent protests that have occurred in the last year, during which some participants have hidden their faces under masks and balaclavas, reports RTE.
In order to write legislation, the minister stated that she is actively collaborating with the Attorney General and the Garda Commissioner.
“My priority now is to make sure that the mechanics of this work,” she said, reports RTE.
“So, I’ve been working closely with the Attorney General and the Garda Commissioner, so that this can be applied in the most efficient way possible for the gardaÃ,” she added, reports RTE.
Ms. McEntee stated that the “next steps would be to start the draughting” and expressed her desire “to be able to do that as quickly as possible”.
“But beyond that, I don’t have a specific timeline,” she added, reports RTE.
Although she restated the freedom of individuals to demonstrate, she asserted that “no one should have the right to instill fear or to intimidate any other individual”.
According to Ms. McEntee, gardaà must be endowed with all the authority necessary to uphold public order and the freedom of peaceful protest.
The minister said that earlier efforts, such the introduction of body cams, heavier body armour, and potent incapacitant spray, were all made to support gardaà in their duties, reports RTE.
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