The Dáil will tonight agree an all-party motion condemning the killing of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny agreed with the suggestion by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who said “the murder of Ronan Kerr is an attack on the peace process itself”.
He said that an all party agreed motion would “make clear our abhorrence of this murder”. During leaders’ questions Mr Martin said that the Dáil had previously agreed such a motion following the killings of PSNI officer Steven Carroll and two British soldiers in 2009.
Mr Kenny agreed that a “very strong, clear” message should be sent out. He said his attendance and that of other members of the Oireachtas at the funeral tomorrow of Constable Kerr, would be an act of solidarity with his family and would show that the Oireachtas and the vast majority of people abhorred what had happened.
It was “an act of cowardice and a young man’s life has ended and it’s a slur on all our humanity that this should happen”.
He said the Garda Commissioner in a briefing yesterday had given assurances of “active, intense co-operation between the gardaí and the PSNI” and that this would continue.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams also condemned the murder and said “we are with the Government” on this and “we are very clear that the people of this country are against this”.