Gardaí fear using force to manage protests due to fears that incidents will be posted on social media, a new report has found.
A report by the Policing Authority in the wake of the Dublin riots in November of 2023 found that it is now common for any use of force to be recorded and shared widely across social media platforms almost immediately.
Gardaí have said that social media clips are edited out of context to make any use of force appear disproportionate.
They also expressed concern for their family members, where information regarding their name, address and family details are published online in the comments.
On Lunchtime Live, the Garda Representative Association President Mark O’Meara said fore is used by Gardaí as a “last resort”.
“Force is used as a last resort but of course the justifiable and accountable use of force would have to be used in certain situations,” he said.
“What we saw in riots and so on was some of our members, for various reasons, [were] reluctant to use force when they were surrounded by groups of people.
“We still can recall the imagery of the officer on O'Connell Bridge where he was surrounded by two youths and the difficulty there would be perhaps the fear that he was alone and isolated.
“That is a fear, obviously, for our members.”
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The Garda Public Order Unit on O'Connell Street after rioters cause chaos in the capital, 23-11-2023. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews
