Gardaí targeted with doxxing and abuse after fake AI images shared from Whitegate protests

Doctored protest images and false claims have led to harassment, doxxing and threats against gardaí and their families

Gardaí and the main protesters maintained good relationships throughout the East Cork protest.
Picture: Larry Cummins

Images of the Whitegate fuel protests earlier this month were altered to make it appear gardaí were violent towards protesters.

The AI-doctored images were shared widely online, including by international far-right agitators.

Others that were posted deliberately targeted individual gardaí.

One such image was of Garda Chris Daly working at the protests. It included calls to identify him and “run him out of the community”.

Mr Daly was deployed from Cork City with the public order unit to police the blockade at the Whitegate oil refinery.

Spurious allegations were made online that he "was mad to crack heads", despite clear evidence the blockade had been policed calmly and without violence. Both gardaí and the main protesters maintained good relationships throughout the East Cork protest.

But Mr Daly knows of five gardaí who were policing Whitegate who had their images shared online with efforts made to identify them.

While “the good people of Cork” never shared Mr Daly’s identity or address, other gardaí did have their home addresses shared.

Mr Daly said he was concerned about his wife and children being home alone and having to deal with abusive people coming to the door if his address was publicised.

"People's names shared and families threatened online, that's just unfair, that's passing the line," he said.

At the Garda Representative Association's annual conference earlier this week, Garda Peter Firth from Waterford proposed an emergency motion for the immediate implementation of a comprehensive policy to ensure the swift protection of gardaí subjected to online harassment, doxxing, threats, or related abuse.

One garda attached to the Waterford division had his address shared online after policing the Whitegate protest.

The garda produced his pepper spray, gave a verbal warning to protesters, and put the pepper spray back in his utility belt.

Although he never used the pepper spray, false rumours were spread that he sprayed a 14-year-old boy.

Images were taken of the garda holding the pepper spray and were doctored using AI, Mr Firth said.

“They said he pepper sprayed a 14-year-old. The national media put a microphone in someone’s face and that became a parroted line.

“He [the garda] was named online. His full home address was given. And his parents were subject to online abuse and comment by people.

“Eventually this was picked up by far right agitators like Tommy Robinson, who then spread it to their crowd, ironically showing the Irish tricolour with all of their comments."

He said their members carry out their duties under direction and within legislation.

They are then attacked when they’re off duty, at home. Their property threatened, their lives threatened, their family threatened.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly announced this week senior investigating officers were being appointed in every Garda district to examine allegations of threats made against gardaí during the recent protests.

Although this move was reassuring, a policy on threats against gardaí was also now urgently needed, Mr Firth said.