Gardaí are investigating after Taoiseach Simon Harris’ election canvass in County Mayo was disrupted.
The incidents happened on Sunday in Castlebar and Westport when Mr. Harris was targeted by the family of jailed teacher Enoch Burke.
Mr. Harris was joined on the campaign trail by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Fine Gael European election candidate Maria Walsh.
A member of the Gardaí was also hit during the protest.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí in Mayo are investigating all the circumstances of events which occurred in Westport, Co Mayo, yesterday, 2 June 2024. An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time.”
Commenting later, the Taoiseach said: “We live in a country where the courts and government are separate.
“People need to abide by the rules of our courts, that is a fundamental tenet of democracy. It would be entirely inappropriate of me to comment on a decision made by the courts. Anyone who expects the Taoiseach to do that doesn’t understand how the Constitution of Ireland works.
“Protest has an important part to play in democracy. I’ve been protested at and I have been on protests during my political career. But there’s a difference between protest and an attempt to significantly disrupt. I think, as people know about me, it takes an awful lot to disrupt my energy.
Meanwhile, Simon Harris has said that his own party’s rise in the latest opinion poll and coupled with Sinn Féin’s decline would not lead to him bringing forward the date for the general election, which has to take place before February 2025.
“This government has a lot of work to do,” he said.
“The position in relation to the timing of the next general election certainly hasn’t changed. I’ve tried to hit the ground running in terms of making progress on a number of issues.”
