Video recording Garda Siochana investigation rape comments

Sceala Philosopher Location: Recife Brazil

This news about certain members of the Garda is very sad. Sad as in pathetic, what pathetic excuses for adult men.
Most of us Irish will know that Ireland has a majority of decent Irish men in all walks of life. But contrary to the romantic myth of Ireland, usually spread by dreamers who just don't really know Ireland. The Irish are not a perfect race, we have never had a shortage of those with low morals, or those with none.
That reality does not mean Ireland should ever have to suffer the dregs of Irish society in the Garda.
To be fair to the Garda, or any Police force, they are only human beings doing a job, often in difficult circumstances. The Garda like the US military - are not - upon joining - made automatically honorable, let alone heroes. The ludicrous naivety that equates any uniform to honor, held as fact and opinion by all too many in society, only encourages those who think they are above the law.
Placing these individual Garda pathetic nature and sickness in context against - the individuals in the US forces recently shown to have murdered - a 15 year old boy (amongst others) in Afghanistan - just for their own amusement. Those killer soldiers then using cameras to unintentionally prove their evil crimes - and their own extreme and perverse mental illness.

Irish Community Video

An Garda Síochána under investigation
Two separate investigations are under way following allegations that remarks of a sexually suggestive and disturbing nature were made by gardaí after the arrest of two women involved in an anti-Corrib Gas protest last week.

A recording where gardaí speak about rape in relation to one of two female campaigners they had just arrested was released by the protest group last night.
The recording is believed to have occurred inadvertently after gardaí took a video camera from the women.
Senior garda to investigate treatment of Corrib protesters
Transcripts of recording from Corrib Shell to sea protest
On tape: transcripts of recording
Excerpt from recording by confiscated video camera in a Garda vehicle on March 31st, 2011, after the arrest of two women at Aughoose for public order-related offences relating to the Corrib gas project.
“Crusty camp” is a reference to the Rossport Solidarity Camp where the two women had been staying.
Garda A: “Who is them two lassies, do you know the two of them?
Garda B: “I don’t know the second one, the first one is (name) with blonde hair.”
Unidentified garda: “She was up on the tractor earlier on.”
Garda A: “It’d do no harm to get the second one’s name again?
Garda B: “She’s some Yank. I don’t know who the f**k she is.”
Unidentified garda : “ Is she a Yank?
Garda B: “It sounds like it, it sounds like it, the accent anyway
Unidentified garda: “Sounds like a Yank or Canadian.”
Garda B: “Well whoever, we’ll get Immigration f**king on her.”
Garda A: “She refused to give her name and address and told she would be arrested.”
Garda B : “.......and deported”
Garda A: “And raped.”
Garda B: “I wouldn’t go that far yet….. She was living down at that crusty camp, f**k sake, you never know what you might get.”
(Laughter)
Garda A: “Give me your name and address or I’ll rape you.”
(Laughter)
Unidentified garda: “Hold it there, give me your name and address there, I’ll rape you.”
(Laughter)
Garda A : “Or I’ll definitely rape you.”
Unidentified garda: “Will you be me friend on Facebook?”
(Conversation continues about Facebook in Garda station)

Excerpt from video camera recording in which gardaí discuss safety and techniques for arrest at protests.
Garda A on phone to a colleague: “I know we don’t want to be arresting them but by the same token, we were left with no option. We have an issue there as well with the lads in the protest removal team there, of actual climbing the tractors. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to get safety ropes and ladders and we’re going to leave them in the van in case we have to go up on the cab of the tractor again. So we’re looking after that now at the moment.”
Garda A: ends call.
Garda B: “You see (muffled) at least you’re a sergeant, like.”
Garda A: “ (unclear) like some of auld timers who were here in the area in the first and second campaign. I’ll tell you one thing, the decisions that were made (muffled) policing at that time.”
Garda B: I’ll still go back to what says there . . . If someone gets hurt we’re going to be on our own in the blocks.”
Garda A: “. . . I don’t think we’re going to be on our own. If we have exercised due diligence and we have used common sense and used whatever was available to us to remove them. At the end of the day, we have a certain duty of care to them. We ask them to get down, if they don’t get down, we tell them we are taking them down forcefully. We take them down forcefully.
“We use whatever means at our disposal, which includes ladders and ropes or whatever to get them down safely. If one of them slips, so f**kin. What can we do?”
Garda B: “Ladders and ropes. All I’m saying is, the point is (Garda B then simulates court exchange)
‘Garda, are you a member of the protest removal team?’
’I am.’
’Have you received training with working at heights?’
’Yes, I have.’
. . .’How did you train to bring someone down?’
’In a harness with ropes.’”
“We didn’t have any of them options today there . . . That’s all I’m saying. And (named garda) is dead right; if we’re in the box:
’Have you received training on how to take a protester down from heights?’
’Yes’.”
“And if we did it with ropes and harnesses . . . then why did you let my client fall? Did you not go get your ropes and harness to take her down. That’s all.”
Garda A: “. . .To get them down safely we’d have to erect a scaffold tower beside them and abseil them down. And and, the, the, taking the common-sense approach, and a common-sense view, it would be impractical to erect a scaffolding tower to get them down off it. And we use whatever safe means at our disposal, as we considered safe (unclear) protest removal team to take them down, ie, ropes and ladders.”
Unidentified garda: “What was the obstruction?”
Garda B: “There was no obstruction . . .”
Garda A: “They were obstructing the road.”
Garda B: “There was no obstruction . . . The tractors (unclear) all other vehicles were able to get past.”
Garda A: “They were obstructing the road. Excuse me. If a car stops there, in the middle of that f***ing road, and it’s stopped there, it’s obstructing the road. It doesn’t have to be blocking it. If it’s parked there it’s obstructing it.”
Unidentified garda: “Well if nothing else they were obstructing the vehicle.”
Garda B: “That’s the only vehicle obstructed.”
Unidentified garda: “. . . free passage.”
Garda A: “The vehicle was obstructing the road. Just because other vehicles could pass didn’t mean the road wasn’t being obstructed.”
Garda A seems to get out of the car . . .
Garda B: “We all said this, it was a safety issue.”
Unidentified Garda: “It was the best option . It was the best option at that time, there’s no doubt about it.”
Garda B: “We all said it because of a safety issue. There was three up, there was a wind blowing. And like did you f***ing feel safe, 100 per cent safe going up there taking down two people.”
Unidentified garda: “No”.
Garda B: “...I don’t know what you thought?”
Unidentified garda : “All I know is that if something happens, who’s going to stand f***ing behind me.”
Garda B: “And do you honestly think that is going to turn around and say “oh look it”. We got trained a certain way.
’Garda did you f***ing, take a protester down the way you were trained’.
’No I didn’t.’
’Well then Guard.’
“And the job will say were you f***ing trained a certain way. The job will f***ing ditch you.”
IrishTimes
The Garda Ombudsman Commission said it had not received a report about the incident in Co Mayo, but said it was in the public interest to investigate it.

A senior garda officer from outside the Mayo region has been appointed to carry out a separate investigation.

The two women had travelled to Mayo to support the Shell to Sea protest.
One of them had climbed onto a tractor, the other was filming her with a video camera.
Gardaí arrested both of them, put them in a patrol car and took them to Belmullet Garda Station. The camera was placed in a second patrol car.

Last night, Shell to Sea said the gardaí did not realise it was still recording.
When it was handed back to the two women it contained details of a conversation between the gardaí in the second patrol car.
A Shell to Sea spokesperson said the alleged remarks made by the gardaí were shocking and disturbing.

Sinn Féin had earlier requested that the commission launch an inquiry into alleged threats.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has tonight re-emphasised the importance of combining professionalism with sensitivity and compassion in the investigation of sexual crimes.
In a statement, Mr Callinan said: 'I want the message to go out to the community and particularly to victims of sexual crime that they should report those crimes to gardaí who can take the necessary steps to vindicate and protect their rights and I want to assure them that they will be met with compassion and sensitivity.'
Alleged 'rape' remarks by gardaí investigated

At the very minimum, the Garda involved should be dismissed the service without pay. Following that, An Garda Síochána will need to investigate how such pathetic individuals ever got passed the entrance tests and oath. And then - question the general basic training of Garda.
How embarrasssing to be found confiscating personal items (a camera) of the public - for no genuine reason other than inconveniencing.
How else can these Garda explain how they missed - the recording of themselves - confessing their pathetic nature to a confiscated camera.
I imagine that Ireland tourism will not be very keen to have North Americans hear the disdain these Garda have for females or for North Americans in general.
Placed in context - to the physical serious crimes committed around the world by people in authority - Some may consider this event as - just throw away words - said in macho environment to impress immature men who think they are so macho. Possibly that is the real essence - But this still can not be excusable - or ever acceptable in the Garda. Respect is is the very base of morals - and fundamental expected - demanded - of any decent association and society.
Throw away individual very poor quality Garda - definitely.
How will these sad and pathetic little men feel the next time they have to face their own Wives or Daughters, or Mothers and Sisters.

Register

The Irish Community have posted
3 REPLIES TO THIS TOPIC
for logged in members to view.

Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Video recording Garda Siochana investigation rape comments

Video recording Garda Siochana investigation rape comments

Irish Community Video