Inspector gets a bruise.

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday March 29, 2003 19:57 by Paul Cummins chewy at redbrick dot dcu dot ie

Picture of the smirking Gard pushing random people. Plus a bit of a rant.

I was just at the anti-war demo where I saw the police Inspector in the photo.

I want more co-operation between the police and protesters, so I went over to him to speak him starting off reminding myself to be calm. He was nothing but amused by me. I started talking about the sit-down protest outside the Dail on day-x. He responded by pulling up his trouser leg and showing me a bad bruise on his lower front leg.
He was kicked that day no doubt about it, whether in the melee of dragging protesters away or on purpose I don't know. If he got kicked arrest that person. That single person who kicked him they deserve to be arrested don't take it out and random people.

The women in the picture was shouting at the gard but she didn't deserve getting roughly pushed back by the neck. And when somebody asked about it he threaten to arrest him to with a big smirk on his face.

Now some will say ah fecking students , ah fecking socilaist or anarchist. but this doesn't matter to the police, Ill admit they probably see the worst of society every day. But you can't threat good people and protesters as criminals. Blocking a road and breaking some by-law is not important.

He walked away so I continued talking to another police officer, admittedly shouting (partly cos of the noise of the crowd). I said why did they not give any warning when they moved in on Thursday, I was part of the protest but as I took pictures standing in the road a Gardai just came and pushed me, no warning no, GET OFF THE ROAD.
That seems simple but it shows there attitude.

I told the second gard to stop threating protesters like criminals and give more warning, he told me
"Act normal then. I said I am normal im just angry".

I only got involved in politics and protesting when I came across the red tape and blindness of a government department. I am angry but that Inspectors actions are what made me angry.

I've started taking pictures at demos (about 3) only) , Ive taken hundreds at this stage and of all the police protester inactions Ive never seen a protester lay a hand on a guard. I've heard them shout you say them throw paint the other day. If I had a picture of a protester hitting a guard in Ireland I would put it up along side the rest of them. I invite others to do so too.

Im a middle class white male in a suburb of Dublin a sheltered life I think I've had no experience with the police at all. Never broken a serious law. You hear of abuse by the Gardai and you believe it fully but its not until you see it first hand you realise what it means.

They are treating ordinary innocent people like criminals they push and arrest journalists and by-standers in a blind panic.

You think this is reality not a big deal in the scheme of things but Im more upset about these police actions(and Berties) then the war in Iraq in some ways.
(I also was at the events of last May on Dame Str. I was there for the party.
I haven't been fooled the by the socialist into action it was the use of batons on random people at that protest that got me angry and shocked.