Garda media approach shifts to calm online bigotry
Garda
media approach that identified the ethnicity of the man involved in the shooting incident in
Carlow
likely stopped a spiral of online misinformation developing into a real-world protest.
In a highly unusual move, just hours after events at Fairgreen Shopping Centre on June 1st, the Garda press office released a statement saying the man was 'a white Irish national in his 20s'.
The lengthy press release also noted that 'a young girl, in the shopping centre with her parents, suffered a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the scene' and that 'No member of An Garda Síochána discharged a weapon'.
Each fact countered misinformation flooding
social media
which suggested the gunman was an asylum seeker or a terrorist, that a boy was shot, that there had been a 'mass shooting' and 'that the gunman was gunned down by armed gardaí'.
READ MORE
One tweet seen by nearly six million people reported 'Today's Shopping Mall Massacre, which saw a 9-year-old girl shot by a man who had explosives strapped to his body, has enraged the General Public'.
Later, details emerged that Evan Fitzgerald (22) had fired a weapon in the shopping centre before turning the gun on himself.
By quickly expanding on the facts, the Garda effectively pushed back against the onslaught of fake news that had appeared even before the crime scene tape was in place.
Asked why it went into such detail about the injured child, the press office said it was aware of commentary that a child had been taken to hospital 'with the clear implication being that a child had been shot and may die'.
Typically, Garda press releases in the immediate aftermath of an event give just bare-bones details.
The assailant's gender might be given, a rough idea of age and in some cases, additional, though vague, information such as 'known to the victim'.
It's up to crime reporters at the scene or using their contacts to fill in the details to feed the 24-hour news cycle that won't wait for official statements. Journalists routinely confirm their findings with the Garda before reporting them.
Reasons for the scant detail range from an urge to protect families involved to legal restrictions.
Identifying ethnicity is a highly unusual move by the Garda, but it's not without precedent, and it is being done on a case-by-case basis.
Will rent reform make building apartments viable?
Listen |
40:12
In the past year, the force has issued nine misinformation notices via social media or press release. Most were to indicate that, despite some social media commentary, the individuals involved in an alleged crime were Irish citizens and not connected to individuals in the international protection system.
The past year, says the Garda, has been marked by 'a significant rise in misinformation and disinformation that has falsely linked serious crimes to immigrants. In some instances, this had directly led to violent public gatherings'. (Misinformation refers to false or incorrect information, disinformation is deliberately designed to mislead.)
And following a week of violence, it's something the people of
Ballymena
know all about.
The ongoing pubic disorder in the Co Antrim town – on a scale not seen since the worst years of the Troubles – has been fuelled by online commentary that began last Monday with speculation about an alleged sexual attack in the town. By the end of the week, there had been wave after wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric, including advocating violence against specific ethnic groups.
On Monday, two 14-year-old boys appeared in court charged with attempted rape of a teenage girl in the town at the weekend; news media reported that they required a Romanian interpreter.
The usual anti-immigrant tropes quickly appeared and were amplified on all social media platforms, about the streets not being safe for women and children and inflating immigration figures.
One Facebook group, with more than 5,000 followers, urged people to share addresses of 'locals' they wanted to protect – and of those they wanted to target.
Scenes of rioting and burned-out houses – by Friday, 14 migrant families had been forced to leave their homes – were shared and reposted while misinformation about the alleged sexual attack spread. One TikTok post claimed 'a granny and a child had been raped'.
The posts came from Irish accounts, including those that are typically most active in the South, protesting about refugee housing and newcomer numbers, but also from British far-right accounts.
Events in Ballymena moved fast and quickly went far beyond anything that could be calmed by a carefully worded press statement.
After a week of street violence, more than 60 members of the PSNI had been injured, and the force's range of anti-riot equipment had been deployed.
On Sunday, a 32-year-old man in the Larne area was arrested by police investigating online posts relating to public disorder.
A group of Filipino nationals have been forced to leave their Ballymena home amid ongoing violence in the town. Video: Reuters
That real-world consequence of an arrest might prove a deterrent for some, but given the proliferation of anonymous social-media accounts and the sheer volume of posts, it's not a realistic way to stamp it out.
And that's where the social-media giants have the real part to play, though in practice, that seems far off too.
Asked to comment on the torrent of online misinformation following the Carlow shooting, Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended moves to regulate internet misinformation. Such moves are in train, but the social media owners, who all would claim that they work hard at stamping out misinformation, are not going to easily accept regulation.
A legal challenge brought by
Elon Musk's
social network platform against the online safety code introduced by the Republic's media regulator is under way.
X
alleges in High Court proceedings that
Coimisiún na Meán
engaged in 'regulatory overreach' in its approach to restrictions on certain video content. Coimisiún na Meán is contesting the case.
The company contends that the new online safety code contradicts Irish law requirements for protecting and balancing fundamental rights, particularly freedom of expression.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
38 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
People have their say on safety in capital after latest Temple Bar attack
The Irish Mirror has headed to Dublin's streets to ask people if they feel safe in the capital. On Wednesday morning, Gardaí issued a witness appeal after an English tourist was left fighting for his life in hospital following an attack in the centre of Dublin's Temple Bar. During the course of the altercation he is believed to have been kicked in the head while on the ground. He was rushed to Dublin's Beaumont Hospital where he is being treated for head injuries - and his condition is being described as critical. In light of the vicious attack, the Irish Mirror went to the streets of the capital to ask people if they felt safe while walking around Dublin city centre. Nick, who works in Temple Bar told the Irish Mirror: 'I am working here for the past two years now, and I used to feel very safe back then. People were so nice all the time, I'm from different nationality, they always treated me nicely here. He added: 'But for the past few months, I don't feel the same behaviour from them. I feel like they have become a little cold, I don't know why is it so. And from past three weeks, I have seen a lot of attacks going on on my community. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week 'Maybe they think we are living on Government money or stuff, but that's not the case.' Another man agreed, sharing that he did not feel safe in the city centre. He told how he is more concerned for his children's safety than anybody else. 'No, I wouldn't feel safe in general in the whole of the town, in the inner city at the minute. 'From all the attacks going on, seeing it on social media, the media try downplay it, it's definitely happening, it's out there. You seen the Garda getting stabbed there very very recently, attacked from behind. 'I have two young children, very concerned more so for my children's safety than anybody. I was only coming in and out of town now I'm heading back home, and I do feel myself being a little more alert and looking around and seeing who's looking behind me. 'The Garda presence isn't there either…. They're people who are supposed to protect us. A bystander actually took that lad down.' One hairdresser who works in Dublin City Centre said that as a daytime business he feels safe, but stressed that more Garda is necessary. He said: 'No, no we are a daytime business open from 9am to 6pm and it's a lot safer in the daytime. Certainly a lot of the late night food restaurants, bars, late night business I think would suffer, would certainly put a lot of people coming in. More Garda patrolling the streets, that's what we want.' One woman who lives in The Liberties and works in Temple Bar said despite the news this morning, she does feel safe, although she wouldn't come to the city alone at night. She said: 'I do generally, I obviously heard the news this morning which is startling, given that we only work over there, I actually work in Temple Bar as well, but generally I do feel safe. 'It wouldn't put me off, I'm here right now. It would put me off coming here late or alone, I would have to be with friends if I was coming here again.' Another lady told how there were no issues as they walked around last night. She said: 'Yeah I do (feel safe). We were walking around last night, and I felt safe enough. We haven't had any issues.' One more group of ladies shared they do feel safe but that a shopkeeper had told their group to be conscious of pickpockets. 'We feel safe, but we have just been told about keeping our bags close to us and there has been some pickpocketing locally around here. But we are in a group so we feel quite safe'. Another lady added: 'That was a local lady that warned us, at a shop near our hotel when we were chatting to her, so I think locals are aware of it, but we felt very safe, we have been walking around at night.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Happy Return – Frank McNally on a breakthrough in the case of his stolen Dublin Bike
The good news is that my stolen Dublin Bike ( An Irishman's Diary, August 7th ) has been found, and in one piece. Having disappeared from a pole in Clanbrassil Street Upper on the evening of Wednesday, August 6th, it turned up again the following Tuesday night, returned to a bike station on Parnell Square North. In the meantime, as requested when reporting the theft, I had posted the key to JC Decaux, the service providers. Then I received an email, possibly from a bot that had not been copied in on our conversation, informing me that due to exceeding the maximum loan period for my latest rental by several days I would shortly be charged €150. There then followed a non-bot email reporting the happy news that, the stolen bike having turned up safely, there would be no 'additional charges'. After that, the bot emailer was back on to confirm that the €150 had been 'successfully' extracted from my account. At this point, I sought clarification from the non-bot emailer as to the meaning of the term 'additional charges'. Whereupon, in a shock development, a fully sentient human being rang me to confirm there were no charges due and the €150, deducted in error, would be refunded. READ MORE I am no wiser, meanwhile, as to where the bicycle spent its long, lost weekend or in what circumstances it was returned. We can at least rule out mindless vandals from our list of suspects for the larceny, since the bike was neither damaged nor dumped in a canal. Was it borrowed for a week by a conscientious thief with a personal transport crisis who returned it when no longer needed? Or was it abandoned somewhere by a careless joyrider and then brought to the nearest station by a concerned citizen? I don't know. As a committed Flannorak, barring further intelligence on the matter, I choose to believe that Sergeant Pluck and his colleagues were involved somewhere. Fans of The Third Policeman will recall Pluck's masterly detective work in the case a bicycle stolen from one Michael Gilhaney: a typical crime – indeed the only type of crime known – in the district. It later emerges that the sergeant was able to find the bike so easily because he had hidden it himself as part of his community work, to reduce the insidious effects of molecular interchange in a parish full of iron bicycles and rough roads. Gilhaney, a man of 60 who had been cycling regularly for 35 years, was already 'half-way to being a bicycle', Sergeant Pluck explained to the novel's narrator. Hence his strange behaviour in the police station, where 'instead of standing at the counter as he would in a public house, he went to the wall, put his arms akimbo and leaned against it, balancing his weight on the point of one elbow.' Pending an improvement of road quality and/or in bike suspension systems, the sergeant's intervention was to pre-empt further erosion of Gilhaney's personality: 'If it wasn't that his bicycle is stolen every Monday he would be sure to be more than half-way [to being a bicycle] now.' I hope my Dublin Bike will not be stolen every week. But if molecular interchange is as big a threat as Sergeant Pluck feared, the combination of Dublin's unforgiving road surfaces and JC Decaux's unforgiving bike frames must be having an effect on me by now. Come to think of it, even in public houses, I do have a habit of leaning against walls with one arm. *** An indirect result of the theft has been to make me visit the Dublin Bikes app more often than I did before, checking details of – for example – 'My Journeys'. So I have been puzzled to see that on my return to the saddle this week after the enforced sabbatical, I incurred a charge of €1.50 for a '112 min[ute]' trip from the station outside Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital on Grand Canal Street Lower to the one at Fallon & Byrne's food shop in Exchequer Street. Now I did indeed make a journey between those two stations. But I made it directly, stopping only at a few red lights (I swear) along the way. The trip could hardly have taken 12 minutes, never mind 112, and should therefore have fallen into the free-for-the-first-half-hour category. As, I now see from the app, did my previous 10 journeys, the theft incident excluded. The €1.50 is a minor issue, of course: a mere 1 per cent of what I would have been liable for on the previous rental had the bike not been found. Even so, I'm intrigued as to how it arose, whether there was a rogue bot involved, and how often such things may happen. Or is it possible that I passed through some kind of time warp, like The Third Policeman's vision of eternity, on the short trip between Grand Canal Street and town? Maybe Sergeant Pluck can fill me in.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Inquiry into fisherman's death found onboard safety culture below required standard
An inquiry into the death of a fisherman who drowned after going overboard in seas north of Co Donegal found the 'safety culture' on board the vessel fell below standards expected. In February 2023, the fisherman was pulled off the deck of FV Séimi when he became entangled in a rope while shooting lobster pots in waters 60 nautical miles north of Arainn Mhór island, according to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB). The fisherman was later retrieved by his crewmates, having been in the water for about 15 minutes. An attempt was made to resuscitate him, but this was unsuccessful. The board's inquiry found that an obligation on a fishing vessel's owner or master to ensure there is a sufficiently qualified crew on board was not observed. READ MORE 'In this case, the absence of sufficiently qualified crew and the vessel's failure to comply with the [Department of Transport's] code of practice, coupled with the lack of drills, formal training, risk assessment, records and safety standards all indicate that the safety culture on board FV Séimi was below the standards that should be expected on board a commercially operated fishing vessel,' said the board. The inquiry into the FV Séimi drowning was one of several documents highlighted in the MCIB's 2024 Annual Report, published on Wednesday. Another inquiry outlined in the annual report examined the drowning of a man off Bruckless Pier, Co Donegal, in September 2023. The inquiry found the man's death was caused by several factors, including that he was operating his boat alone in difficult weather conditions, did not have a life jacket, and had no means of raising the alarm. In another incident, in June 2023, a man was swept out to sea and drowned after trying to board a recreational boat as it drifted from Lacken Pier, Beltra, Co Mayo. An inquiry found his chances of survival would have significantly improved had he been wearing a life jacket. The MCIB is yet to publish a report on the death of fisherman John Burke, the only fatal incident recorded by the authority last year. According to the board's summary of the incident, Mr Burke likely went overboard from his small fishing vessel after it took on water and capsized in seas off Inishbofin Island, Co Galway, last June. The board said Mr Burke had no means to communicate his distress, and the incident went unnoticed until a day later. Mr Burke's remains eventually washed ashore. The MCBI continues to investigate other non-fatal incidents reported last year, including the sinking of passenger vessel Sea Breeze III close to Skellig Michael in Co Kerry.
