Gardai remove IFPAL sign near Israeli Embassy

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday October 06, 2009 18:14

by Sean Clinton - IFPAL - Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon

info at ifpal dot ie

On Sunday evening Gardai in Irishtown confirmed that they had the previous day removed an IFPAL referendum sign from a pole close to the Israeli Embassy on Pembroke Road Dublin. The sign read:

Israel killed 300 Palestinian children in January
Yet the EU will not impose sanctions
EU policy facilitates Israeli genocide.
Vote No to Lisbon

Following enquiries made to Superintendent Finbar O’Brien from Donnybrook Garda Station yesterday afternoon to find out why Gardai removed the sign, Sergeant Tom O’Sullivan this morning contacted Mr. Clinton and informed him that the sign was being held as “an exhibit” and investigated for “the possibility of the offence of incitement to hatred”.

IFPAL believe Gardai have absolutely no grounds for such an investigation as nothing on the sign is “threatening, abusive or insulting” as prohibited by the Prohibition of Incitement To Hatred Act, 1989. The sign gives factual information about the number of children killed by Israel last January and expresses the opinion that the EU facilitates what many commentators have described as the genocidal policies of the Israeli government.

We in IFPAL believe Gardai have employed powers given to them by the Oireachtas to maintain public order and safety for overt political reasons, denying IFPAL the right to freely express convictions and opinions as enshrined under Article 40 of the Irish Constitution. Gardai have made a number of what IFPAL believe are spurious claims in relation to their referendum sign close to the Israeli Embassy – one of over twenty such signs that have been prominently displayed throughout Ireland since August, none of which have given rise to any complaints from Gardai.

Gardai in Donnybrook successively claimed the sign was a distraction to motorists, falsely claimed it could not be erected without permission and a permit and claimed it was displayed with intent to provoke a breach of the peace or with recklessness as to whether a breach of the peace might be occasioned. Now they claim that the sign is “likely to stir up hatred”.

IFPAL believe the proximity of the sign to the Israeli embassy is the real reason behind the interference of the Gardai in the democratic process. Gardai employed a number of tactics to have the IFPAL sign removed in order to shelter the Israeli ambassador from reading details of the genocide for which his country was responsible, details that would embarrass any civilised person.

The actions of the Gardai call into question what if any lessons those in the upper echelons of the force learned from their experience with the Morris Tribunal into Garda corruption in Donegal. It is clear from the initial involvement of the Gardai, claiming the original IFPAL sign was a distraction – without any evidence other than the opinion of a sergeant in Donnybrook to support such a claim - that the Gardai have used their powers in a manner which we believe dangerously extends and may even exceed their legal remit.

We in IFPAL look forward to defending any charges brought by the DPP in relation to this but we doubt very much that any charges will be forthcoming.

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Comments (5 of 5)

Israel's Useful Idiots in Blue

by Haitham

Tue Oct 06, 2009 19:36

The situation for Palestine is extreme at the moment with Israel's corrupt, Quisling thugs in Ramallah, in effect, neutralising Richard Goldstone's report to the UN Council for Human Rights ... the situation is dark indeed and now this obscenity in democracy hugging, humbug Ireland comes to light.

Thanks for illuminating and shaming Israel's, in effect, useful idiots in blue, aiding and abetting the supression of that rogue, criminal State's deep and many crimes against humanity. Thanks, once again, for striving for Palestine.

Mahmoud Darwish

by Sarah

Tue Oct 06, 2009 20:24

Haitham, your words strike home, as Mahmoud Darwish would have put it: No dawn for Palestine in a bottomless night howling with white phosphorus and suffering. Abbas, Netanyahu and Obama are watchful and snuff out all light in the darkness of your cellars whilst the world and the EU stands approvingly by.

Palestine Is Still the Issue

by Ronoc

Tue Oct 06, 2009 22:06

Palestine Is Still the Issue is a great documentary by John Pilger regarding the conflict between Palestine and Isreal. It is a little out of date now, seen as it was made in 2002 but still worth the watch. One image sticks in my mind from the documentary, two Palestinian prisoners get caught by Isreali soldiers on a hill side and the soldiers break the prisoners arms and legs by reapeatedly striking them with hugh rocks. Quite graphic!!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383551/

John Pilger is one of the best journalists of our times and a fantastic documentary maker!!!

www.johnpilger.com

The Pavlovian idiots of the Zionist propaganda machine are in thrall to its bidding.?

by Deep Throat

Tue Oct 06, 2009 23:04

This overt and alarming attempt to suppress IFPAL's laudable attempt to shine a hard, cold and shaming light on Israel's frenzy of butchery in Gaza and beyond over the Xmas period, is not confined to the bailiwick of Donnybrook Garda Station, its carcinogenic tentacles extend much farther in Ireland , I'm afraid, it's just one of many: From Dublin City Corporation's removal of the IFPAL raft sign at the Ha'penny Bridge on the basis that they didn't like its "message" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLhXfybD_4o to the wrongful arrest of an IFPAL activist in Galway by a compliant, idiot Guard at the command of Zionist Jews who were in high, malodorous dudgeon at the "lies" on the IFPAL sign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch9ORXw8ulw to Willie O'Dea, our manque "Dirty Harry" Minister of Defence who malevolently tried, in vain, to bully Limerick City Council into removing IFPAL's signs in Limerick City and environs on the basis that his office had received "many complaints" over IFPAL's contentions.

The Zionist propaganda machine is in overdriveat the moment to suppress Goldstone's report and, unfortunately, predictably, its useful Pavlovian idiots over here, chaff in its idiot wind, are doing its bidding.?

And they call this????

by paul o toole

Wed Oct 07, 2009 09:26

They cal this the free world. Based on such 'values' as free speech, free association and free expression.
Dare you try anything and it will be met with the force of thr free state...or county council.
Free speech is smothered by RTE, free expression is washed aside by louie walshe and all his adorees, free association is met with un-identifiable gardai in riot gear... and now the Irish states new private army of thugh IIRM.
Its laughable that in Ireland today that the politicians (all of them) are so silent on the real issues such as Israeli, US and UK Genocide. Israel especially..given their horrible history...and Ireland...given ours.
Theres not one of them with the bottle to raise hell in Dail Eireann for fear that the spies...i mean observers in Dail Eireann.. will report immediately to Downing St and The Whitehouse.
Free society.....my arse.

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Gardai remove IFPAL sign near Israeli Embassy

Comments (5 of 5)