Very bad article in today's Evening Herald re MAYDAY Reclaim The Streets Street Party

by Aidan Fri Jan 10, 2003 20:34

Criminals how luke?

The crime most of the people being charged with is breach of the public order act, a fascist and possibly unconstitutional organisation regularly abused by our police. Thats not just my opinion. Trinity law professors and several politlicans do as well.

Secondly whats the big crime? I shouldn't have to ask a Gardaí permission before I do everything. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right in this country and should be defended by everyone. While I agree that stopping the IAWM from marching up Grafton st. on 8th of Decemember was an sensible response to an idiotic demand, the people on may 6th were hurting no one (Spare me that ludicrous emergency vechiles bit, there were routes around the march, and also think about how many emergency vechiles are stalled in traffic every day, traffic these protestors were suggesting alternatives to).

Secondly force. Fine force is sometimes a necessary tool for police in this world. But necessary force, not like what was witnessed. Some examples;

Batoning a sixteen year old girl over the head with a baton. A head strike should only be used according to Gardaí training, when life is threaten.

Throwing a protestor who is not resisting to the road and then punching him repeatdly in the face.

Seven or eight Gardaí batoning three protestors huddled in the doorway, curled up to protect themselves.

Photos supporting these allegations can be found at
http://www.indymedia.ie/archives/arch4.html

As do the charge sheets that are currently pending 7 officers.

Your idiotic support for a police force who use force so casually and readily and then fall together to discredit those condemning them and preventing a investigation into them, from gaining even the most basic information, is staggering. As is the fact that they're going to get away with this.

by Luke Thu Jan 09, 2003 21:04

Well for starts I don’t really agree with the farmers, but they are not blocking the roads and they are co-operating with the Garda. The Garda will only let 300 tractors into the city and they have agreed with them. So I don’t think they will cause any trouble unlike RTS.
At the end of the day the people on Dame St are criminals and they were treated like criminals. No emergency vehicles could travel up Dame street in the day in question which is butting people lives at risk just so students can dance around the street. A bit selfish. Also what about people coming home or to work (People work on Sundays).

What do you want Garda do if criminals don’t do what there told. The only thing that can be done is to use force and that is what happened.

Anyway we might not need the Garda, there are so many amateur detectives that user this site. Every time I look at this site there are about 10 crimes solved. It’s to say someone did this or that. But try get some evidence. Ever heard of innocent tell proven guilty.

by - Thu Jan 09, 2003 18:17

in the opinion of most. But doesn't mean that his comments (in this case, they are comments, I have seen his stuff before) should be deleted.

by Ray Thu Jan 09, 2003 09:52

RE The Evening Herald
by Luke Wed, Jan 8 2003, 6:10pm
RE The Evening Herald

The Evening Herald was a great paper last May when it was writing article’s in favour of reclaim the streets. Anybody\Organisation that does not agree with your(RTS) point of view is wrong. The Garda will get of scot free as you say because they did nothing wrong. But it would be interesting to see Dublin if a member of the Garda’s does get punished for carring out his/her duty on dame st in May because they will give up there batons . Therefore they will be confined to there station’s. So every scumbag will have a field day. And that will be all down to reclaim the streets.
The Garda did a great job on dame st. Now there will be lots of messages post on this site saying that the Garda beat up innocent people. But in fact they used reasonable force to remove thugs from blocking everyday people and emergency vehicles from travel down a main street in this countries capital. Everybody on dame street was total by the garda to move and they did not (making them criminals) so the Garda used force. How else do u get criminals to do anything? With force.

The Garda have one of the most difficult jobs in this country dealing with the worst scum of this country. And the last thing the Garda should be doing is babysitting a group of students looking for attention.

And Paul you called that event in May a party. I would love to see you on New Years what happened did yourself and all your mate’s go down and sit down on your local Main Street. Great Fun. I think thats were the party's I have been at went wrong.

Now to Plebin Indymedia is a joke run by jokes and for jokes . Anti everything.

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COMMENTS
well,
by atom Wed, Jan 8 2003, 7:33pm

will they baton charge the farmers when they block the roads on friday ??

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a thought for Luke.
by i - reclaim the streets! Wed, Jan 8 2003, 9:01pm

Though not involved in the Dublin gig claimed in a subsequent press statement by "Globalise Resistance", I have watched this affair develop now for over six months.

The Gardaí are state employees. Their training at Templemore prepares them for a life long career with little fear of job insecurity, and many fringe benefits. The Gardaí are not a section of the Irish community who suffer precarious contracts or poverty, their welfare is not seriously in question.
The Gardaí are trained and supervised by experienced officers to keep the peace and protect property in the Irish Republic. They have since their foundation carried out those duties without need to use excessive force or recourse to hand arms and on several occasions their recruits have served those duties and died serving them. resulting in serious questioning of the quality of their leadership.

On several occasions however the Gardaí have been implicated in serious public disturbances where their behaviour appeared to be sanctioned politically.
1973
1981
and most recently 2002.
There can not be any excuse for the Gardaí when they leave their own rules of engagement behind.
Luke you have kept long silence on this issue, I have not read your comments since last summer.

I do not particularly see the need for our societies to bear policing in the form that we have. Where protection of person has fallen a far second to protection of property and those whose interests is property.

I have examined worst police records, the Gardaí aren´t in any way one of the worst of European police forces, however they are one which oddly do not as of yet have an independent inquiry or investigation service.

The sight of Gardaí removing their numbers for whatever reason, is inexcusable in modern Irish society. It is against the rules Luke.

And many the Evening Herald included in the aftermath quite rightly asked
"who polices the police?"

We still ask that question.
and till we have a satisafactory answer we will ask it.

The Gardaí may better do their job and protect Irish society from "crime" when they are protected from the malignant element in their own ranks, an element that has lingered on too long.

We have long long passed the time when that element be rooted out, as a result of whatever catalyst is most opportune.

It is a fact that Gardaí have been implicated in false arrests.
It is a fact that Gardaí have been implicated in torture.
It is a fact that Gardaí have been implicated in tampering with evidence.
It is a fact that Gardaí have been implicated in bribery.
It is a fact that Gardaí computers have been found with child pornography on their hard drives.

These facts demand inquiry and action.

Reclaim the Streets! is a name for a movement which sees streets transformed for a day to celebrate life as it may be, life without the car and life without the daily assault on our senses that is unbridled capitalism.

Reclaim the Streets! events have often met with police problems and often met with police co-operation, it is a mistake to see us as mutually antipathetic enemies.

I worry about the future efficacy of Ireland´s policing and Justice system if the process of investigation of Gardaí methodology begun as a result of last May´s riots is stopped now.

Can you follow that Luke?

because that´s is no joke.
who´s going to save you this time Batman?
-or the Joker?

related link: recalimthestreets.net

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by S. Aerobics Wed Jan 08, 2003 18:15

One point from the article was that the rank and file gardai were considering handing in their hickory battens in protest if their colleagues were prosecuted. Effectively resigning them to office duties.
I suppose that could give some more time to 'target scum' with comments on indymedia.
The article also mentioned a new retractible batton (longer + metal)which 'Health and Safety' gardai representatives were demanding to be introduced. In keeping with a policy of providing the best equipment available and which police forces in the UK and Europe use. Do wooden sticks not do enough damage ? From wood to metal, what next, the Irish carabineri ?

by Luke Wed Jan 08, 2003 16:40

The Evening Herald was a great paper last May when it was writing article’s in favour of reclaim the streets. Anybody\Organisation that does not agree with your(RTS) point of view is wrong. The Garda will get of scot free as you say because they did nothing wrong. But it would be interesting to see Dublin if a member of the Garda’s does get punished for carring out his/her duty on dame st in May because they will give up there batons . Therefore they will be confined to there station’s. So every scumbag will have a field day. And that will be all down to reclaim the streets.
The Garda did a great job on dame st. Now there will be lots of messages post on this site saying that the Garda beat up innocent people. But in fact they used reasonable force to remove thugs from blocking everyday people and emergency vehicles from travel down a main street in this countries capital. Everybody on dame street was total by the garda to move and they did not (making them criminals) so the Garda used force. How else do u get criminals to do anything? With force.

The Garda have one of the most difficult jobs in this country dealing with the worst scum of this country. And the last thing the Garda should be doing is babysitting a group of students looking for attention.

And Paul you called that event in May a party. I would love to see you on New Years what happened did yourself and all your mate’s go down and sit down on your local Main Street. Great Fun. I think thats were the party's I have been at went wrong.

Now to Plebin Indymedia is a joke run by jokes and for jokes . Anti everything.

by a freelance jedi gets angry with the herald. Tue Jan 07, 2003 21:28

really terrible. really really really really terrible.
sure wasn´t it the first tabloid in Ireland!
terrrible.
bringing that filth into the country.
terrible. terrrible. terrible. shite. awful.
and the colusion.
oh yes the colusion.
oh yes the nasty under the table colusion over the years between certain, not naming names, oh no guttersnipe me, certain sub editors over the years who coluded, yes coluded with
terrible
terrible.
Operation Desertstorm and the awidth and breadth of the NUJ card. terrible.
Ah reader of indymedia ireland if only all the truth were out there in the open you´d never go near those newspapers again.
---i wonder will any Herald employees go to Iraq / saudi / Kuwait this time?
---unbiased reporting.
terrible.
Reclaim the Streets should do a spoof version of the Herald.
that´s it.
and then boycott it.
and plaster the offices in posters.
and write letters to the editors and the readers!
all of them.
door to door drops.
terrible filth.
wouldn´t wipe my bottom with it.
honestly.
----well I couldn´t be expected to write decent comments all day could I?
oh lord won´t you buy me a Mercedes Daimler Chrysler Benz Boeing Stealth F16.
my friends all drive Jeeps with UN on the side.
oh lord won´t you buy me a Google updater
my friends all write postings they´´re bring ye the truth.
that´s all.
O-) o as if.

by plebin Tue Jan 07, 2003 19:32

its the media......its what they do
thats why this website is here

by Mr Soya Bean Man Tue Jan 07, 2003 16:19

When the protest/riot/massacre, whichever you prefer, happened, you may recall that the Herald actually called, on its front page, for all video footage to be released so we could see what actually happened. You can't win all the time.