Simon Harris has slammed planned anti-lockdown marches as “attacks” and “thuggery” instead of protests.
The Higher Education Minister described the past ones organised by the same anti-lockdown campaigners as “attacks on democracy” and “on who we are as a people”.
He was speaking ahead of planned events from far right groups against the Government lockdown, more of which are due to take place across the country to coincide with St Patrick’s Day.
An earlier protest on Grafton Street in Dublin a few weeks ago infamously saw a firework blasted at the head of a garda on duty to try and keep the peace.
Mr Harris was speaking at the launch of this year’s Bus Eireann apprenticeship programme at the Broadstone depot in Dublin.
He said: “On the broader issue of the more disturbing scenes we saw in our Capital city, which I don’t believe was a protest, what we saw a number of weeks ago, with people taking a firework device and aiming it directly at gardaí, was not a protest, it was an attack
“It was an attack on the men and women of our Garda Síochána.
“It’s an attack on democracy and it’s an attack on who we are as a people.
“And this country should not think it is immune to from those far right elements that sadly we’ve seen bubble up to the surface in other countries as well.
“So, there’s people who wish to protest about things, and then there’s people who got out to engage in thuggery and it’s very important that we differentiate between the two.”
Gardaí have launched a major operation to contain any planned protests.
