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THE EDITOR OF Ireland’s largest photo agency says he was forced to hand over photographs of a protest to gardaí against his will.
Eamonn Farrell said that two of his staff at Photocall Ireland were issued a summons to appear in court over the water charges protest documented by one of his photojournalists.
Farrell was strongly critical of the gardaí, saying it was an attempt to use journalists as ‘their eyes and ears’ on the ground.
“Our office was visited by two gardai with a summons for two of our staff to appear in a court case which the gardai were taking against a protest or protesters involved in an event outside the Department of Justice last year, which one of our photojournalists covered,” Farrell said in a statement.
He said that one of the summons was for the journalist and the other was for the office manager who had downloaded the images onto a CD for the gardaí.
The gardaí told TheJournal.ie that, while they cannot comment on an individual incident:
Any complaint made to [the gardaí] must be fully investigated. In order to do that, they must gather all available evidence.
Farrell said that “the images were handed over under protest and duress” after a warrant was produced.
It’s understood that photojournalists can at times appear in court to prove a photo was taken by a professional.
“[These are] attempts by the gardaí, representing the State, to use journalists, and in particular those working in the photographic/video/film arena as an extension of their eyes and ears,” said Farrell.
“The attempt to force journalists by default to become agents of the state at protests and demonstrations is not only a threat to our independence and objectivity but also to our safety and our reputations”.
Gardaí said that: “If anyone has a complaint about the activities of gardaí they should contact the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.”
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Yeah but we linked up the two Luas lines with a few hundred meters of track.
@The Guru: probably cost €17 billion too
@keano: haha very good!
It’s interesting that that bridge is longer than some of the envisaged routes for a bridge between us and the UK. It’ll probably never happen but interesting nonetheless
@Tweety McTweeter: is that on a flat earth or is that plan a series of bridges of length 55km to make up the distance between US and UK ?
@Tweety McTweeter: It also sits in much shallower water and in an area with not as much shipping traffic as the Irish sea
@Chewey Bacca: See below link, 38km
https://www.freemaptools.com/how-far-is-it-between-dublin_-ireland-and-holyhead_-wales.htm
@William O’Brien: William, i thought he meant the US when he mentioned us. 7,000 km bridge in sections obviously.
@Larissa Nikolaus: the shipping traffic in the region is huge. In the region Hong Kong (6th), Shenzhen (3rd) and Guangzhou(7th) are all in the top 7 busiest ports in the world. But the “bridge” includes a 7km tunnel facilitating shipping. The Irish sea is rougher but HK is a typhoon region which the bridge was built to withstand. The Pearl river delta has 120M people. Difficult to see how connecting Dublin to the UK could be viable.
Incredible structure, very impressed. “…includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through.” I would love to see this.
@Salah & Chips:
@Salah & Chips: yeah. Would love to see how the ship sinks under sea and comes back up on the other side of the bridge.
A great bunch of lads…. Boom, first in best dressed with traditional Ted quote
Sure in Ireland, we’d be complaining that it spoils our view of the sea, river , whichever.
@Geraldine O’Riordan: be realistic. you can’t see that bridge from Ireland.
@Bill Clay: of course you can – it’s literally at the top of the page.
@Bill Clay: Ha Ha…But I can see it in my mind….
Ah sure they’ll get over it
A bridge too far…
@Pat Dowdall: Honk if your horny!
55 Km – 55,000 metres
€17bn – €17,000,000.000
€309 per metre don’t think we would bring it in
at that price.
@DeFonz: €309,000 per meter
@DeFonz: Ireland couldn’t organize a p up in a brewery . Whatever about ” bring in ” anything at that price .
Yeah bridges baby!
Wonder could they connect us to France?
Like a bridge over troubled waters ..
@BBborris….. mbeep mbeep
have your say