Photojournalists ‘abused and threatened’ at Coolock protests, says editor of leading photo agency

Photojournalists covering protests in Coolock have been “abused, intimidated and threatened by elements at the anti-immigrant camp” to the point where they have been forced to withdraw, the head of a leading photo agency has said.

Up to 1,000 people attended a protest in the north Dublin suburb last Sunday over plans to repurpose a former warehouse to house international protection applicants.

Men on horseback were pictured on the main road as part of the demonstration, leading to major traffic disruptions in the area.

In a statement, Eamonn Farrell, the editor-in-chief of RollingNews.ie said gardaí must take action or coverage of such events will cease due to “serious” threats.

“Over the last few days several of our photojournalists have been abused, intimidated and threatened by elements at the anti-immigrant camp in Coolock, while carrying out their legitimate function of reporting on a protest taking place in public,” Mr Farrell said.

“The threats were serious, forcing the journalist to withdraw. This development by far-right activists is gradually getting to a stage where, if action is not taken by the gardaí to protect journalists going about their work, coverage of these events will cease and the public will be deprived of seeing and hearing what is happening in their own country.

“Such a development is the fist step in the erosion of democracy.”

It comes as local councillor Daithí Doolan this week called the demonstration in Coolock “unacceptable” at a meeting of the Dublin City Joint Policing Committee.

“It’s anti-community, it’s anti-demographic. It needs to be challenged; we need a strategy. This is not normal political activity, this is not normal politics or demos or marching, or picketing,” he said.

“The level of violence we’ve seen over the past 12 to 18 months is unacceptable.

“These people feel as if they can hold communities at ransom, divert buses like they did at 11.15pm when people were coming home.

“One of my colleagues had to guide the bus driver away from the blockage, through housing estates to get to their destination. That’s no way to run a city.

“It’s preventing children from coming home from sporting events, preventing people from going about their lives.”

Garda Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region Angela Willis told the meeting that protests in Coolock have escalated.

“Up to 1,000 people were protesting at a potential place for international protection migrants to be put into a facility out there. We have a strategy; we have a plan in place around it,” Ms Willis said.

“Until someone commits a criminal offence, our hands are tied, there’s nothing we can do.

“People encourage others to protest at something they believe is a legitimate concern for that community, we become the facilitators and we’ve a legal obligation to facilitate peaceful assembly.

“Despite what past anyone has, they have an entitlement, under the Constitution and under the European Convention of Human Rights to peaceful assembly. Until a criminal offence is committed, there’s very little for us to do only to facilitate the protest and prevent disruption to traffic.”

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