Sinn Féin has accused the Government of the “most bizarre stroke ever” in introducing a retrospective legislative amendment to ensure Defence Forces personnel are authorised to use force when deployed to assist An Garda Síochána.
The party’s justice spokesman Matt Carthy said Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, during the fuel protests, “inflamed a volatile situation with his comments threatening to deploy the Defence Forces”.
He claimed the Minister “having learnt nothing from the mess” was now “changing the law to retrospectively make legal what he said during the protests.”
Labour justice spokesman Duncan Smith said in April the Minister “confirmed it was well-established in law that the Defence Forces may assist An Garda Síochána in aid to the civil power”.
Now “we are bringing in new law to enable him to request the deployment of the Defence Forces in aid of the civil power.”
