Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Garda Síochána (Irish State Police Force – “The Guards”)’ Category

USA ICE Deportation Flights Passing Through Shannon Airport in Ireland – Dublin Government’s Gardaí Refuse to Intervene

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Ukraine, Palestine, Occupation Is A Crime

ICE is an enemy of Palestine, Ukraine and opponents of the barbaric Trump-Friendly régime of Vladimir Putin

The aircraft, a Gulfstream V operated by ICE charter Journey Aviation, left the ICE hub of Mesa, AZ, at 2:28 a.m. local time Wednesday, and landed at Shannon Airport eight and a half hours later. The plane continued on to Cairo International Airport, which ICE has previously used to transfer Russian dissidents and asylum-seekers to Egyptian authorities, who then force them onto planes to Moscow.



Three and a half days after the ICE flight through Shannon Airport. Multiple phone calls and emails to the Gardai, and we’ve heard nothing from them on what action they took to investigate. I’ve been told by one officer that there is nothing on the PULSE record except my initial report.

Three and a half days after the ICE flight through Shannon Airport. Multiple phone calls and emails to the Gardai, and we've heard nothing from them on what action they took to investigate. I've been told by one officer that there is nothing on the PULSE record except my initial report.

John Lannon (@jclannon.bsky.social) 2026-02-14T11:44:36.751Z

Here is Gillian Brockell’s excellent report (thanks to Joe Noonan for circulating the information).

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Prosecution expected over killing of IRA informer Denis Donaldson – Dublin government minister Jim O’Callaghan makes a statement

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This could be a very significant news story.

Link :
Crimeworld – Prosecution Expected over 2007 killing of IRA Informer Denis Donaldson

Press Association Story :

“A prosecution is expected in relation to the fatal shooting of Denis Donaldson in Co Donegal in 2006, the Irish justice minister has said.

Minister Jim O’Callaghan made the statement after meeting with Mr Donaldson’s daughter Jane Kearney.

“It has now been nearly 20 years since Denis Donaldson was killed near Glenties, Co Donegal in April 2006,” he said in a statement.

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1. Six-County Cops – Softly, Softly Against Racists 2. Twenty Six County Cops – target non-whites crossing Ireland’s “open(ish)” border

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The two reports below tell us that policies operated by police forces operation in the two partitioned bits of Ireland – the Gardaí Síochána (Guardians of the Peace) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) [a child of the hated Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)] are racist-friendly.

The news reports are related :

Claire Mullaly, a spokesperson for End Deportations Now Belfast told The Irish News that gardaí boarded the bus and began asking passengers for identification.
She said they specifically removed non-white passengers who could not produce documents while allowing white passengers in the same predicament to remain on board. She branded the incident as “disgraceful” in light of the anti-immigrant violence that took place in Northern Ireland in recent days.

Both reports come from the Belfast Irish News.

PSNI officers told not to intervene during race riots unless life at risk

Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 17th, 2025

DETAILS OF INSTRUCTION SENT IN EMAIL

PSNI officers were told not to interfere with violent mobs during last week’s race riots unless life was at risk.

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Ireland’s Closed Border at Dublin Airport – Two disgraceful incidents as 2025 begins

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During the opening days of most new years important stories can pass us by, unnoticed. Hats off to two journalists, Conor Pope and Alexon Lacerda, who spotlighted disturbing incidents at Dublin Airport. These stories come from the Irish Times, January 3 2025. Are they isolated regrettable incidents, or are they typical examples of a “get tough” state anti-immigrant policy?

Hostile Security, Dublin Airport, January 2025 No.2
Hostile Security, Dublin Airport January 2025, No. 1

Brazilian Student Deported from Ireland over Christmas – He claims paperwork error left him “helpless”

A Brazilian student who says he was deported in error over Christmas by Irish immigration authorities has described feeling “helpless” and “abandoned” after a mini-trip away from Dublin turned into a nightmare.

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Swastika cut into poster in sinister Far Right threat to socialist candidate – Irish Local and European Elections campaign, 2024 – Safety Measures Urgently Needed

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Far-Right agitators in Ireland are escalating their attacks.

Ruth Coppinger, a Solidarity- People Before Profit candidate in Castleknock, and a former Dublin West TD, is the latest target.

Ruth’s press statement below explains the context well, and she makes an excellent proposal :

I am going to make contact with other parties / candidates – in particular those in opposition and on the left who are targeted more by the far right  – to suggest that  a central log of incidents and threats should be kept in order to take measures for the safety of all those ordinary activists who come out and campaign, as well as community safety in general.
“The far right can’t be allowed to create an atmosphere designed to frighten and to limit the campaigns of the left

Swastika cut into poster in sinister Far Right threat to socialist candidate 

A “menacing atmosphere” is being generated by the far right according to a former TD and local election candidate who has had a swastika cut into her image on an election poster. Ruth Coppinger,  socialist candidate with People Before Profit-Solidarity in Castleknock ward, Fingal, says  supporters found the poster and that “it shows the danger of the far right in these elections, the threat they are to safety and how they would take away democratic rights.”

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Ireland’s Open(ish) Border – Sinn Féin on the Warpath

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Ireland’s Open(ish) Border – Sinn Féin on the Warpath

Sinn Féin’s is warning Irish voters about “Open Borders”.

The party is promoting relentless propaganda in the run-up to the June 7 2024 European and local elections in Ireland.

This leaflet from Balbrigggan (Dublin) is a local version of statewide propaganda.

Let’s ask ourselves a question : What’s wrong with Open Borders?

Andrew Flood calls the border in Ireland Open(ish) – and he is spot on. Here is why :

I say Open(ish) because for two decades black or brown people crossing that border have been stopped and told to produce ‘papers’ by the Garda (claiming to be doing random checks). Maybe they want such checks stepped up, if not what is the demand here?

The border between the EU and the rest of the world is so closed that 3,000 people died trying to sneak across it last year. Over 20 times the number of people killed crossing the Berlin Wall in the 28 years it existed. The border with the 6 counties is Open(ish) – is it that?

OK we all know this is a response to the far right working with FFFGGP to blame Sinn Féin on the government’s failure to plan & communicate for large number of Ukrainian refugees. But this shite is just going to underline that Sinn Féin are no more principled that the rest.

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Weak Arm of the Law in the 26 County bit of Ireland – Police “Hug-a-Thug” Policy imported from the 6 County bit of Ireland

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The boss of An Garda Síochána (police force in the 26 county bit of Ireland), Drew Harris, was recruited from the cops in the 6 county bit of Ireland. The people running the two states in partitioned Ireland have developed very close social, political and personal relationships since the the 1998 triumph of the Good Friday Agreement. I recently circulated details of Harris’s “Hug-a-Thug” policy towards growing far-right violence in the 26 counties to a 6 county political activist, who commented this was “reminiscent of the historic style of policing up here”.

Ruling class forces were extremely happy about the continuation of partition guaranteed by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. They did not foresee that the foundations of partition in Ireland are more rotten than their constitutional plan conceding a Unionist Veto to a majority of the voting population of the six county state. The Brexit referendum result of 2016 lit a slow-burning fuse under the GFA structure; in the meantime we are witnessing the creation of a possible “United Ireland from Hell” which consists of knitting together the most reactionary features of both partitioned states in Ireland.

The following article from the Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog powerfully illustrates the dangers arising from importing 6 county softly-softly policing methods towards the far-right (loyalist paramilitaries), fine-tuned by Garda boss Drew Harris.

John Meehan April 22 2024


Weak Arm of the Law – Cedar Lounge Blog

Link : Weak Arm of the Law – Cedar Lounge Blog

So, Friday comes the news that the previous night:

Gardaí were called to the home of Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman on Thursday night when a gang of up to 12 masked men gathered outside his house and huge placards and banners were stretched across his driveway gate, along his wall and fastened to outside polls.

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Dublin Far-Right Racist Connections – A Sunday Independent story highlighted by Paul Murphy TD

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Far-right racists regularly target Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit), Dublin South-West. These sinister activists picket the homes of elected politicians; a few days ago they targeted the home of Green Party Minister Roderic O’Gorman, who is gay and is responsible for the housing of immigrants.

Paul Murphy observes :

Good that some media is finally drawing the obvious link between the far-right and the disgusting intimidatory scenes outside Roderic O’Gorman’s house.

This isn’t a lack of civility in politics.

It’s an organised attempt to undermine democratic rights.

https://twitter.com/paulmurphy_TD/status/1781954648292683804?t=c3ttmKhAR-_G9oNaoBVPyA&s=19

Picketing family homes is from the same playbook as burning 🔥 immigrants’ accommodation, city centre riots such as November 23 2023 in Dublin, and propaganda  attacking the rights of specific national groups. 

We offer one example: Ukrainians forced to live in Ireland, fleeing from Russia’s genocidal war.

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‘Killed for not speaking English’ – Death of Josip Strok in Clondalkin, Dublin

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We re-publish a profoundly shocking report which appeared on the Cedar Lounge Revolution blog.

Killed for not speaking English


This report on the death of Josip Strok in Dublin during an attack that the gardaí are now investigating as a hate crime which left another man, David Druzinec, appallingly injured is disturbing.

Two men – Jospi Strok and David Druzinec – working in Ireland, attacked for what appears to be no reason at all – apparently they weren’t speaking English.

But note that the father of Josip Strok has heard nothing from the authorities about his son’s death:

Josip Strok RIP and David Druzinec

“I can’t believe that no one from the Dublin higher authorities or the Irish embassy ever called or said anything to me about my loss. It was just Irish ordinary people.”

David Druzinec speaking on “Prime Time” to Irish broadcaster RTÉ

As bad is the initial response of the gardai as reported. 

On Easter Sunday, after he [Druzinec] was discharged from hospital, he spent most of the day travelling around with the gardaí trying to re-trace their route.

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Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty on ‘outreach programme’ to reassure big business, but executives fear wealth tax – IDA boss reveals Sinn Féin plans to woo US firms on corporate tax

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Industrial Development Authority (IDA) boss reveals Sinn Féin plans to woo US firms on corporate tax

A daft idea promoted by many political commentators is that if a political party with a left-wing voting base moves to the “centre” (which in this context is a weasel word for “right”) it can win control of a government more easily, and “reassure” the owners of capitalist states at home and abroad. Once the leadership of a political party absorbs this idea, all sorts of radical policies are thrown into the litter bin.

Unfortunately the leadership of the Sinn Féin party is falling into this trap – the left message is : you are in a hole, stop digging.

This Sunday Business Post story shows that significant sectors of the capitalist class understand this dynamic. 

Sources :

https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article69361

The Sinn Féin Leadership Promotes Contradictory Messages

Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty on ‘outreach programme’ to reassure big business, but executives fear wealth tax

Sinn Féin has made it clear to top multinationals that it has no issue with Ireland’s corporate tax rate and will not raise it if elected, the new chairman of IDA Ireland has said.

However, Feargal O’Rourke has revealed that the party is determined to hike personal taxes on top earners, in a move that has prompted serious concerns among business leaders.

O’Rourke, the former head of PwC Ireland, said Sinn Féin has “been very much on an outreach programme” with big businesses since the last election to reassure them it will “not rock any boats” should it gain power.

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