THE KILLINGS of two Polish men was condemned as an example of "hooliganism at its worst" by Bertie Ahern, speaking during a one-day official visit to Poland yesterday.
Addressing members of the Irish business community in Warsaw, the Taoiseach said the incident was "a huge tragedy" which had "shocked the community" where the victims had lived.
"It had nothing to do with the fact that they were Poles. It was, I'm afraid, just hooliganism at its worst. But we deeply regret it and obviously it is something that has shocked the community where they were living because there is a very large Polish community there," he said.
At a joint press conference later, after meeting Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk, the Taoiseach said: "Polish people play an enormously important and friendly role in Ireland today. We had a tragic event last weekend where two Polish men were set upon and attacked by a small group of out-of-control Irish people. It was a sad event and one we deeply regret and I would like to pass on my sympathies and condolences to their families here in Poland."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said it was an incident that "brought shame on us all. We have been lucky in this country that we have not these types of incidents in any great measure. Hopefully, this is not the start," he said.
Two local TDs said the fatal stabbings drew attention to the issue of under-age drinking and the proliferation of off-licences which have increased in the Dublin region from 274 in 1996 to 863 last year. Earlier this week, Dublin City Council's joint policing committee voted to restrict the number of new off-licences that will be opened.
The head of the Government's taskforce on alcohol, Dr Gordon Holmes, has said he will address the issue in his report to Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan next month. The incident which led to the killings happened when one of the Polish men refused to buy alcohol in an off-licence for some under- age teenagers.
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, who is also the party's spokesman on justice, said: "The Government needs to address the youth drinking culture in Ireland and the associated violence.
"There are a high number of off-licences opening throughout the State with little or no consultation with the communities they are affecting."
Labour's Mary Upton said she had long held the view that "binge drinking and substance abuse have reached crisis proportions among a certain group of young people".