Justice Minister Simon Harris has said that it is “extremely regrettable” that Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin “attempted to drag” members of the gardaí into “political debate”.
He questioned what Mr Ó Broin “would do in Government” after finding himself embroiled in two controversies in recent months.
Sinn Fein’s housing spokesperson was widely criticised in recent days after he posted a picture of an image by artist Mála Spíosarí that is based on a famine-era eviction. The photoshopped image shows both masked and uniformed gardaí present.
READ MORE: Fine Gael Minister Patrick O'Donovan brands Eoin Ó Broin garda eviction tweet 'crass and ignorant'.
He posted the image with the caption, "no words needed".
Mr Ó Broin contacted the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspector (AGSI’s) General Secretary Antoinette Cunningham on Monday afternoon to clarify his remarks.
He said: “I stressed it was not my intention to offend, criticise or drag An Garda Síochána into a political controversy
“My intention was solely to highlight the issue of homelessness/evictions and criticise Govt policy.”
Speaking at the AGSI conference in Galway, Minister Harris said that it was not up to him to accept the apology but once again took aim at Mr Ó Broin.
He said: “It's clear that Deputy O'Broin's comments cut deep with many gardaí across the country.
“I think it has been extraordinarily regrettable that he would endeavour to drag the men and women of AGSI into political debate and we don't do that in this country.
“We have a police force who police with consent and have had community support for a century.
“The image shared was an awful attempt to try and compare gardai to perhaps some sort of colonial force past.
“I welcome the fact he has shown remorse, but we have seen what he has done in one year of opposition.
“Last summer, he was going to sack a civil servant who didn't agree with him and then of course he apologised.
“Now this spring he is dragging the gardai into political debate.
“One year in opposition. Imagine what he would do in Government.
“It's easy to send out a tweet. It's quite a different thing to put yourself in harm’s way.”
Minister Harris’ comments related to remarks made by Mr Ó Broin at the Night and Day Festival in Roscommon in September when he stated that the Department of Finance’s Chief Economist John McCarthy should be “sacked”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told RTÉ News last night that it was “never [Mr Ó Broin’s] intention to have a go at the gardaí”.
“He tweeted a very striking image of a very traumatic experience. I think the necessary clarification from Eoin, that has now been achieved and accepted by the AGSI, is the clarity that the cause of this calamity is not An Garda Siochana, the cause of the calamity is the Government.”
Speaking in Leinster House on Monday afternoon, Mr Ó Broin’s Sinn Féin colleague Louise O’Reilly denied that Mr Ó Broin was not put out in front of the media to discuss notice of termination figures from the Residential Tenancies Board as a way of “discipline”.
She insisted that he was busy in constituency clinics.
Ms O’Reilly also denied that Mr Ó Broin was becoming a “liability”, arguing that “Eoin Ó Broin has “literally written the book on housing and how to solve the housing crisis”.
“We fully appreciate and respect what members of An Garda Siochana have to do and they do so in very challenging circumstances."
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