Any attack on a public representative is not just an attack on an individual, but it is also an attack on our democracy.
Justice Minister Simon Harris made the point after he raised concerns about an incident in which a bag of dung was flung at Minister of State Anne Rabbitte and Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon on Wednesday.
Minister Harris spoke to Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, and the Houses of the Oireachtas authorities about the safety of politicians, in light of the incident at a meeting in Galway.
While not commenting on any individual case, the Minister says he's confident the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is taking any attack on politicians extraordinarily seriously.
