Gardaí force photo agency to give up protest images

The National Union of Journalists has strongly criticised the actions of the gardaí in forcing a leading Irish photographic agency to hand over images of a protest outside the Department of Justice in Dublin.

Last week the offices of Photocall Ireland were visited by gardaí who served a summons on two staff, a photographer who had photographed the protest, and the office manager. Photocall had refused to voluntarily hand over the images and were forced to do so on foot of a warrant .

Séamus Dooley, NUJ Irish secretary, said the actions of the gardaí in securing an order against the agency “raises serious questions about the attitude towards journalists and journalism”.

Mr Dooley said: “The action of the authorities in this case must give rise to concern about the ability of photographers and video- graphers to cover public events without the threat of having their independence compromised by demands that they act as information gatherers for the police.”

Mr Dooley added that, in the case of a protest outside the Department of Justice where there are a number of cameras, the gardaí have ample ways of securing images without forcing visual journalists to cross the line between independent observer and collaborator.

“Independent journalists, reporters, photographers, and videographers have a special status as observers at public events. If they are identified as being part of the apparatus of the State they lose that independence and may well be put at risk, especially at a time of tension in public demonstrations.”

“The latest action appears to be part of a worrying trend, following on from a similar trend in Northern Ireland and the UK.”

In a post on his Facebook page, Photocall editor Eamon Farrell echoed Mr Dooley’s concerns and said this was the third time images were demanded by gardaí from various events and the third time they had refused.

However, it was the first time a warrant was served and images handed over. He wrote: “Our professional duty during such coverage, is to represent the public by objectively visually recording what we see, without fear or favour. In doing so we have often suffered the displeasure of both protestors and gardaí, but carried on in the knowledge that despite our own individual opinions, we recorded events as they unfolded before us.”

Mr Farrell said the initial refusal to hand over images to gardaí was because it was not Photocall’s professional role and to become the perceived eyes and ears of the gardaí at protests would undermine their ability to carry out their work.