Minister for Justice Michael McDowell will brief the Cabinet today on a preliminary Garda report into Saturday's riot in Dublin, ahead of a special Dáil debate on the violence this evening.
The report, which was submitted to the Minister last night by the Garda Commissioner, outlines in considerable detail the Garda planning in the run-up to the Love Ulster parade. It also describes in detail the counter-demonstration, which erupted into violence on Saturday afternoon and led to the loyalist march being abandoned.
The Garda report on the events outlines the intelligence reports from Special Branch detectives that there was no indication of any planned violence by republican dissidents at the counter-protest.
Amid growing criticism by Opposition TDs and Garda representative bodies about the level of Garda preparation for the event, the Taoiseach last night moved to defend Garda management, saying that they "did a great job on the day".
Bertie Ahern said gardaí could have been kitted out with riot gear at the outset of the operation, but "if they did that, they'd be accused of over-reacting".
Gardaí have also begun gathering thousands of images of rioters on O'Connell Street on Saturday and will distribute them among intelligence officers with a view to arresting and prosecuting those involved.
Mr McDowell will give a statement to the Dáil about Saturday's events and will refer in detail to the report during his speech as part of a 2 ½-hour special debate. The report provides limited information on who is suspected of being responsible for the violence and is believed to state that the investigations are at a very preliminary stage.
The Irish Times has learned that one line of inquiry being pursued by gardaí is whether football hooligans may have played a significant part in the trouble.
Many Dublin-based hooligans who support Celtic Football Club congregated in a pub in the O'Connell Street area popular with Celtic fans, which broadcasts all Celtic fixtures. As the disturbances broke out, a large group was seen coming from the pub dressed in Celtic jerseys. There have been a small number of violent incidents involving Irish football supporters in the last 12 months.
During this evening's Dáil debate, the Government will be asked by the opposition to justify the policing and routing decisions made by gardaí in advance of Saturday's planned march.
Mr Ahern indicated on RTÉ last night that he was concerned about the impact of the violence on Ireland's image abroad. "Personally I feel we let ourselves down," he said. "It's always upsetting when people ring you from the other side of the world to tell you you're item two on the news."
Tánaiste Mary Harney yesterday described the violence as "downright thuggery". Ms Harney said those involved had "brought shame on themselves, shame on the city, shame on the country".
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the riots were "a sad day for Dublin" but welcomed the fact that Sinn Féin had condemned the violence on Saturday. Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South-West Seán Crowe yesterday reiterated his party's condemnation of the violence and said he expected that any Sinn Féin member convicted of involvement in the disturbances would be expelled from the party.
He said the party had consistently advised its supporters to avoid the march.
Meanwhile DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who was in Dublin for Saturday's aborted march, said there would be no rush to decide on the holding of another rally in Dublin.
"It will be some time in truth before such a decision is arrived at," he said.