Internal note sent by Drew Harris says there are ‘fine judgements’ to be made but gardaí need to respond to such incidents ‘appropriately and adequately’
Internal note sent by Drew Harris says there are ‘fine judgements’ to be made but gardaí need to respond to such incidents ‘appropriately and adequately’Roderic O'Gorman: Threats and intimidation towards publicly elected representatives and those seeking election will undermine those essential qualities of Irish democracy. Photograph: Tom Honan
An internal guidance note was circulated to gardaí on Friday evening, stating that the wearing of balaclavas in particular has “potentially sinister overtures in Ireland”.and seen by The Irish Times, says that while there are “fine judgments” to be made, gardaí need to respond to such incidents “appropriately and adequately”.
The circular said behaviours such as erecting posters and signs “may constitute a form of harassment and/or threatening and abusive conduct”. “It is incumbent on members of An Garda Síochána to respond to such incidents appropriately and adequately, utilising legislative powers including, but not limited to, the Criminal Justice Act 1994, as amended, and the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, as amended. These are critical components to consider in our daily duties of keeping the people of Ireland safe.”“I want to thank local Gardaí in Blanchardstown for their assistance yesterday.
She said “every arm available to the gardaí needs to be used, and these people who think it is okay to engage in this type of behaviour know it won’t be tolerated”. She said further consideration should be given to banning protests outside politican’s homes. “It should also be noted that this is not the first time we have seen scenes like this. The home of People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has been similarly targeted. To be clear, the intimidation and harassment of a public representative by a group of masked men is an affront to democracy and cannot go unchallenged.”What we are witnessing is not protest. It is an attack on democratic values and a challenge to the rule of law.
Roderic-O-Gorman Garda-Siochana Drew-Harris
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