'It's about remembering our history, not condoning what happened'
The Taoiseach has defended the holding of an event to commemorate those who served in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
Sinn Fein has called for the event at Dublin Castle to be cancelled, while Dublin City Council last night voted to boycott it.
The national commemoration service for the RIC will be held in Dublin castle on January 17, but the Taoiseach says it's “about remembering our history, not condoning what happened”.
In an emergency motion, several Sinn Féin and independent councillors stated: “Only a subservient government suffering from a post-colonial state of mind and ashamed of our revolutionary history would encourage this disgraceful event”.
We should respect all traditions on our island and be mature enough as a State to acknowledge all aspects of our past.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) January 7, 2020
However in a tweet Leo Varadkar says we should be mature enough as a state to acknowledge all aspects of our past.
The Justice Minister and Garda Commissioner are due to address the commemoration event which takes place on Friday week.
Both the DMP and RIC were disbanded in 1922 following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
