Dublin City Council row over 'narco terrorist state' motion blocked at City Hall

Councillor Malachy Steenson was blocked from debating Dublin's drug crisis at the Central Area Committee, prompting outrage from fellow councillors.

Dublin councillor's drug crisis motion shut down amid heated City Hall exchange

A heated dispute erupted at Dublin City Council on Monday morning after Councillor Malachy Steenson was prevented from tabling a motion on what he described as the emergence of a "narco terrorist state" in Ireland, Dublin Live reports.

Steenson's motion, brought before the Central Area Committee, sought to address the "breakdown of law and order" and criminal cases involving garda links to organised crime. Chairperson Cllr John Stephens ruled the motion inadmissible, arguing that the topics had already been covered by the committee and at a full council meeting in recent months.

Steenson pushed back sharply, arguing that events relating to drugs and crime have "taken a huge turn" since he first submitted the motion. He said communities "blighted by drugs" require a proper public forum for debate. Referencing a recent arson attack that killed four family members, he said those "banging coke up their noses on the weekend" needed to understand their role in fuelling such violence.

Steenson also pointed to an earlier instance in which he had been blocked from raising specific cases at the Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), and questioned why no public platform exists for councillors to bring individual cases directly to An Garda Síochána.

Cllr Stephens agreed to one concession: he committed to inviting Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly to address elected representatives in the chamber. LCSP Chairperson Cieran Perry said the motion highlights a clear "gap in policing matters" and maintained that councillors are "entitled to ask questions and get a response from senior gardaí". Steenson insisted the Commissioner himself must appear before Christmas and "not some functionary below him".

Independent Councillor Nial Ring challenged Stephens' authority to block a motion tabled by an elected representative, asking which standing orders or legislation justified the decision. Stephens replied only, "I made a decision," and declined to give any further justification.

Ring called the blocking "outrageous" and warned: "If that is the way you will continue, I will be calling for resignation immediately."

Despite his motion being ruled out of order, Steenson continued to speak on the issue, arguing that the country has been "overrun by drugs." He dismissed the suggestion that the topic had already been adequately addressed: "We discuss the same rubbish here every month," he said.

Independent Cllr Christy Burke voiced his support for any motion that draws attention to Dublin's drug problem. He described the north inner city as facing a cocaine and heroin crisis of "epidemic" proportions, adding that "nothing has changed in the last 30 years." Steenson disagreed, saying the situation "has got 100 times worse" and again demanded the Garda Commissioner appear before the committee to explain "how they allowed a narco terrorist state to develop".

The motion was ultimately agreed to in part. Cllr Stephens committed to writing formally to the Garda Commissioner, but the specific case details Steenson had sought to raise were redacted from the final text of the motion.

Fine Gael Cllr Ray McAdam said the redactions meant councillors had not been presented with the full details of what they were being asked to support. He argued they were being "asked to vote blind" and that, given a similar issue had already been debated at a prior meeting, the item should not have returned to the agenda for at least six months.

The session ended without a full debate on Steenson's original concerns, though the commitment to engage the Garda Commissioner directly was seen by some as a partial step forward.

Source: Dublin Live