Gardaí call for greater protection from water protesters

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) had called for increased protection for its members in the wake of reports of threats to the personal safety of gardaí policing water protests.

The association’s president Dermot O’Brien said its members had reported several cases of threats to their safety and personal property, both in person and online.

He described as “alarming to the extreme” posts on social media sites which he said had been used in an attempt to crowd source information about individual Garda members.

“Awards are being offered online for details of individual garda’s homes to be revealed,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It is an unacceptable occupational hazard that gardaí remain in danger even when they are off duty,” he said, calling on protest groups to “condemn the activities of these darker elements”.

“I think the ordinary person who is opposed to water charges would not palate the targeting of members of an Garda Síochána and threats to their person safety and property,” he said.

“Rank and file gardaí do not make laws, and are required to pay the charges themselves. Members work with peaceful protesters, but this darker element is to be condemned by the public, media and our political leaders,” Mr O’Brien said.

The organisation said recent protests, notably in North Dublin were causing concern for gardaí on the frontline.

“We appreciate there is public anger, but this should not be directed at individual members of An Garda Síochána who are workers directed by their supervisors to uphold our laws,” he said.

Mr O’Brien called for greater protection for its members and called for Garda management to step up resources to protect members and for legislation to introduce a specific offence of assaulting any worker in the emergency services.

The GRA said the number of assaults on gardaí had increased in recent years and the number of recorded assaults is currently running at around three per day, with the expectation that some 1,000 assaults will be recorded by the year’s end.

Brendan Ogle of the campaign group Right2Water said it was committed to campaigning peacefully for the abolition of domestic water charges.

“Obviously we would condemn any violence or threat to violence from any quarter to any person. We are campaigning for the basic human right to water. Clearly any threat to violence is unacceptable,” Mr Ogle said.

He noted that major demonstrations held last Saturday were organised with the full cooperation of the gardaí and that no arrests were reported at the protests held in locations nationwide.