Gardai Are Above The Law “Just Like The Paedophile Priests In The Bad Old Days”

galway | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Monday June 24, 2013 11:34

by Galway Alliance Against War

The Galway Alliance Against War claims in a press release that the Gardai see themselves above the law “just like the paedophile priests in the bad old days.”

Letter from the "Boys in Blue"

The statement comes in response to a refusal by Garda Superintendent Roche of Ballinasloe Garda station to uphold a complaint by the Galway Alliance Against War’s PRO, Niall Farrell, and his family in relation to a raid on their home over a year ago on June 7th 2012. The complaint was based on the failure of the Gardai to allow the Farrell family read a copy of the search warrant. During the raid a desktop computer was taken and 13 months later still has not been returned.

The GAAW statement from Niall Farrell reads: “The ‘Boys in Blue’ are the same as the ‘Men in Black’ of old. They are above the law. Just like the paedophile priests in the bad old days, they can break the law with impunity. The Gardai can act with impunity, because they investigate complaints against themselves and always fail to find fault. But sooner rather than later the Gardai, like the Catholic clergy, will fall from ‘grace’.
“The reason for the raid on our family home stems from GAAW daring to publicise on social media sites information we had received anonymously concerning a peace action at Shannon airport in December 2011 in which a US military plane was sabotaged.

“The raid took place 6 months after the peace action and was a blatant act of harassment, just as is the refusal of the Gardai to return a desktop computer seized 13 months ago. However, if the Gardai think these acts of intimidation are going to silence our opposition to Shannon being used as a US military hub they are wrong. We will continue to campaign against the Irish Government’s role as an accessory to mass murder in the US led wars in foreign lands.”