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Irish Examiner
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Garda chief to meet media regulator over disinformation following Dublin City attack
A senior garda boss who strongly criticised online disinformation about the man who attacked gardaí in Dublin on Tuesday is to meet the media regulator to urge greater responsibility from social media companies. The assistant commissioner for the Dublin metropolitan region, Paul Cleary, said that people 'with their own agenda' spread disinformation about the incident in order to 'inflame situations'. Footage of part of the attack and the aftermath was uploaded onto social media, which commentary from various accounts stating the perpetrator was an immigrant or a foreigner. One post from Conor McGregor said: 'A member of An Garda Síochána stabbed this evening, on duty, by one of the Irish Government's new to the parish imports through its human trafficking racket.' The post was viewed 300,000 times and liked by over 3,000 accounts. On Wednesday morning, Mr Cleary said he was very concerned about social media posts and said gardaí had to be on the lookout for any follow-on violence or harassment. 'Unfortunately, we see it every day and we have some people with their own agenda trying to use incidents like this to inflame situations for their own ends,' he told RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland. He urged people to get their information from credible sources. Very inaccurate misinformation and disinformation went out online after this incident very quickly 'So it is concerning, and we would ask people to make sure that the source of their information is credible.' Irish citizen The Irish Examiner understands that Mr Cleary has sought, and secured, a meeting with Comisiún na Meán, the media regulator, in relation to the incident and to push for social media companies to do more on disinformation and the dangers than can bring. It emerged on Tuesday night that the suspect was born in Ireland and is an Irish citizen. He comes from a Pakistani background, with an address in Portlaoise, but is also thought to have an address in Dublin. The 23-year-old is not thought to have come to the attention of gardaí before this incident. The injured garda, a young probationary, was brought to hospital, but he was due to be discharged. Sources said the injuries could have been worse and that his anti-stab vest might have saved him. The officers, based at Bridewell Garda Station, subdued the man with pepper spray and batons. Due to the factors in the case, the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service has been brought in to support investigators in establishing a motive for the attack. It is analysing evidence from digital devices and social media posts and information from family, friends, religious contacts, and associates. Garda Representative Association vice president Niall Hodgins, who is also a representative for the Dublin North Central garda region, said: 'I wish to extend our heartfelt wishes to our injured friend and colleague, and wish him a speedy recovery. "This young probationary member was subject to a quite terrifying and unprovoked attack, and only for his bravery and that of his colleagues this incident could have resulted in far worse and unthinkable consequences."
Irish Examiner
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: YouTube ban a challenge to platforms
Australia has announced a ban on children having their own YouTube channels starting this December, rowing back on an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing platform from its social media restrictions for under 16s. The move has not pleased Google-owned YouTube, which has pointed to that earlier exemption amid suggestions it may yet take legal action, but Australia's communications minister has simply pointed to that country's e-safety commissioner statement that YouTube should be included in the ban because it poses a threat to young people. They will still be able to watch videos, but not upload or interact with content. This is an interesting decision not just because it reflects the overwhelming evidence suggesting that social media platforms are a corrosive influence on younger people. From the scraping of personal data to exposing the vulnerable to bullying on a scale never seen before, these platforms have inflicted havoc on young people and children for years. It is also interesting because YouTube has deigned to offer a defence of its position, claiming it is 'a video-sharing platform, not a social media service, that offers benefit and value to younger Australians', which is a disingenuous representation of its position. YouTube and other platforms, which are included in this ban, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X, are past masters at depicting themselves as platforms rather than publishers, side-stepping any sense of responsibility for the material on those platforms. A case in point surfaced in recent days in Ireland. Yesterday morning, An Garda Síochána's assistant commissioner Paul Cleary stated that 'very inaccurate reports' began circulating online in the wake of an attack on a garda the previous evening. He urged the public to get their news only from credible sources: 'Unfortunately we see it every day and we have some people with their own agenda trying to use incidents like this to inflame situations for their own ends.' Such experiences only serve to expose how social media platforms avoid their responsibilities and undercut those companies' wishes to be seen as a positive influence. Enforcing a ban such as that announced by Australia may present its own challenges, but we in Ireland should certainly keep an eye on this situation to see if we can apply similar restrictions here. No such thing as victimless crime Readers paying out for various TV and streaming subscriptions may feel outnumbered by the ranks of those using 'dodgy boxes', a crowd which appears to rival those claiming to have been in Thomond Park to see Munster beat the All Blacks in 1978. This sometimes appears to be one of the last laws which can be disregarded with impunity — get a friend to spend 10 minutes hooking up your television to a small device and spare yourself those pesky bills forever more. Are the authorities beginning to clamp down harder on those operating these boxes? This week a court ordered a Wexford man to pay €480,000 in damages to Sky after conceding a High Court action taken by the broadcaster and telecommunications giant over his operation of a dodgy box streaming service. If that seems a stiff price to pay, it should be pointed out that the person concerned does not appear to have been an individual using a single box for his own purposes but was previously described by Sky as a 'top level' copyright infringer who may have earned up to €450,000 per year from operating the streaming service. It should be stressed that using a dodgy box may appear to some to be a victimless crime, a minor offence that people can justify to themselves in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis — but it is still theft, and those using such boxes are thieves. The excuses and justifications deployed by the owners of such dodgy boxes cannot be used to steal food, energy, or accommodation, for instance. Bypassing the payment systems to enjoy television programming for free is not just illegal, but it undermines the very product being enjoyed. Television production — like film, radio or newspaper production — is an expensive business, labour intensive and costly in terms of technology. If consumers do not pay for the end product, then they are exploiting those who are working to produce it. It would be an interesting experiment to challenge those using dodgy boxes to work for nothing, or to provide goods and services without recompense. Or to hear them explain why others should do so. Festival fun We are deep in festival season, with all sorts of events flowering across Ireland. One festival with a very different feel to it takes place this week in Cúil Aodha in West Cork. Féile na Laoch (The Festival of Heroes) celebrates our cultural heroes and was inspired by the life and work of one of Ireland's cultural giants, Seán Ó Riada. Held every seven years, one of its key events is An Aeríocht, an all-night show which starts at 7pm this evening with a parade from Ó Riada's home to Cúil Aodha. An Aeríocht features the likes of singers Celine Byrne and Liam Ó Maonlaí, Altan's Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, jazz musician John Donegan, dancers Natasha Bourke, Tobi Omoteso, and Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín, novelist and playwright Cónal Creedon, and poet Dairena Ní Chinnéide. First held in 2011, this is the third Féile na Laoch, and clearly the experience involved is different to typical festival activities such as camping in a leaky tent and buying overpriced band T-shirts. Good to see local and national culture celebrated in such an innovative way.
Irish Examiner
30-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Capel St stabbing: How misinformation spread across social media
At about 6.30pm on Tuesday evening, a probationary garda on a high-visibility patrol on Capel St, Dublin, was attacked without provocation by a knife-wielding assailant. Within minutes, misinformation regarding the attacker, who is an Irish citizen, had begun to spread on various social media platforms — a recurring trend in recent times in the fallout from such incidents, with false narratives emerging before facts can be definitively established by official outlets. 6.55pm: An X account, with just 13 followers, posts: 'Garda stabbed by foreigner on Capel Street 10 minutes ago." This post is made in response to an unrelated post from prominent far-right agitator Mick O'Keeffe. The post has been viewed 1,100 times. It is followed eight minutes later by a post from an account with 15 followers, stating: 'Capel Street 20 minutes ago, copper randomly stabbed by foreigner'. That post has been viewed more than 80,000 times. 7.43pm: Prominent anti-immigration X account Real News Éire posts a video allegedly depicting the assault, stating: "A foreigner has stabbed a Gardai [sic] on Capel Street'. The video has been viewed more than 237,000 times. 8.32pm: Gardaí release a statement, quoting assistant commissioner for the Dublin region Paul Cleary, noting the attack and the fact the attacker had been arrested at the scene. No details of his nationality or ethnicity is given, a break from the protocol employed with regard to a shooting at a Carlow shopping centre in early June, when gardaí moved within hours to confirm that the shooter in question Evan Fitzgerald — who took his own life during the incident — was both white and Irish. Revealing such information early is a calculated gambit to quell the spread of misinformation before it can take hold. 8.37pm: Former mixed martial artist Conor McGregor posts on X that an attack has been carried out on a garda 'by one of the Irish Government's new to the parish imports through its human trafficking racket'. The post has been viewed more than 352,000 times. Wednesday morning: It emerges that Tuesday evening's attacker is an Irish citizen of Pakistani heritage. Mr Cleary speaks on RTÉ Radio of 'very inaccurate misinformation and disinformation that went out online after this incident very quickly'. 'We have some people with their own agenda trying to use incidents like this to inflame situations for their own ends," he says. All of the original posts describing the attacker as a non-Irish national remain online. A post from McGregor on Wednesday afternoon pivoted somewhat in describing the suspected attacker as 'a second-generation migrant of full Pakistani heritage', while stating that 'the stabber and his entire family MUST BE DEPORTED' — a statement viewed more than 218,000 times.
The Journal
30-07-2025
- The Journal
Debunked: How misinformation spread within minutes of a garda being stabbed on Capel Street
FOLLOWING A KNIFE attack on a garda patrolling inner city Dublin yesterday, false claims that the suspect was a migrant quickly spread on the internet. The garda was attacked yesterday evening during a routine, high-visibility patrol on Capel Street. He was wounded on his upper arm, and his stab vest sustained some impact damage, before the suspect was subdued and detained. The injured garda has since been discharged from hospital after being treated for his injuries. However, false rumours about the suspect soon spread online. 'We have some people with their own agenda try and inflame situations like this for their own ends,' Paul Cleary, Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region, said on Morning Ireland today. Many posts with inaccurate claims about the incident, that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views, can still be seen on social media. One post to Facebook calling the suspect a 'non-national' has accumulated more than 92,600 views since being posted just before 8pm yesterday. Another post that appeared half an hour later, which says that the stabbing was carried out by a 'migrant who went Tonto [crazy]', has been seen 22,800 times, according to statistics from Meta, Facebook's parent company. Advertisement Multiple other posts on Facebook blamed the stabbing on a 'foreigner' without providing any evidence. Posts on the social media platform X alleging that the suspect was a non-Irish person have been viewed more than 100,000 times, according to metrics on that site. One of the earliest posts blaming the stabbing simply read: 'Garda stabbed by foreigner on Capel street 10 minutes ago' responding at 6.55pm to a well-known far-right activist who had been complaining about Ireland being a '3rd world country' because of immigration. Similar narratives quickly spread on X, including claims that Ireland was being overridden by foreign criminals. 'This street has gone to the dogs,' reads a 7.02pm post about the Capel Street stabbing that has been viewed more than 13,100 times. 'Every single day we have foreign nationals, drinking, shitting and pissing on the street in Broad daylight.' Similar arguments that exaggerate how dangerous Dublin is are common in anti-immigrant groups, which often portray non-Irish people are inherently criminal. However, claims that the suspect was a migrant or a non-national contradicts all mainstream reporting on the case, as well as statements made by the Gardaí. The suspect is an Irish citizen who was born in the country, according to numerous outlets, including RTÉ . The suspect is expected to be charged this evening. Baseless accusations that foreigners are responsible regularly appear online almost as soon as crimes occur. Some of these accusations have been associated with real-life violence, including the case of an Indian man who was brutally attacked by a mob in Tallaght last week after being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour around children. Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
Sunday World
30-07-2025
- Sunday World
Video shows shocking incident after knife-wielding attacker stabs garda in Dublin
The incident that was partly captured in several videos occurred when two gardaí responded to reports of a man armed with a large blade Shocking footage shows two gardai attempting to restrain a knife-wielding man who had just attacked and stabbed one of them in Dublin city centre on Tuesday night. It comes as gardai continue to question the suspect – an Irishman in his 20s – at a garda station in north Dublin following the daylight incident on Capel Street. The incident which was partly captured in several videos and widely circulated occurred after two gardaí responded to reports of a man armed with a large blade, believed to be a kitchen knife. After a struggle, the suspect was restrained by gardaí using their batons. The injured officer was assisted by members of the public who attempted to come to his aid and he was then taken to hospital for treatment. News in 90 Seconds - Wednesday, July 30 The garda, who is a young probationary member of the force, suffered injury to his upper arm but is said to be recovering well. It comes as Gardaí try to establish a motive for why the man attacked the officers. With an address in west Dublin, he was not previously known to gardaí. Sources say the unemployed man was not intoxicated when the knife attack happened. It is understood the suspect has also availed of a rest period since his arrest. It is expected a decision will be made to charge him this evening. Sources say that gardaí are treating the incident as a potential attempted murder case. However, it is not clear what exactly the suspect will be charged with. A double edged utility knife that was used in the attack was recovered by gardaí at the scene. It is understood the suspect 'came out of nowhere' and attempted to stab both uniformed officers in 'a completely unprovoked incident'. 'The two gardaí were saved from very serious injury or worse by the fact that they were wearing stab vests,' a source had earlier told the SUnday World. 'No motive has yet been established and gardaí are trying to establish the suspect's background. 'He did not say anything during the course of this shocking incident,' the source added. Both male officers are based at Bridewell Garda Station. It is understood the other garda was not injured in the stab attack. 'This could have been a whole lot worse – the matter is the subject of a full investigation,' the source added. Meanwhile, Gardai have urged the public to be aware of misinformation spread online following the knife atack. One man aged in his 20s, reported to have been born in Ireland, remains in custody following the attack. Paul Cleary, Assistant Garda Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan area, urged people to get their news from credible sources in the wake of the attack. Referring to misinformation spread online, Mr Clearly said: 'We have some people with their own agenda trying to use incidents like this to inflame situations for their own ends. We would always say to people to make sure that they get their information from credible media sources. 'Very inaccurate misinformation and disinformation went out online after this incident very quickly. So it is concerning,' he told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland. Mr Cleary said both members of the force involved in the incident had acted with courage and professionalism 'in the face of such an unprovoked attack'. Mr Cleary said the garda suffered a wound to his upper right arm in the tricep area, adding the garda's official-issue stab vest had taken some of the impact. 'I have introduced in the last few months a new high-visibility strategy in the city and I've been able to get 174 new guards for this high-visibility strategy to provide reassurance to the communities in the cities and the business communities and people visiting and socialising in the city,' he added. 'So we have received positive feedback for this initiative. It's a permanent high-visibility strategy and we will be adding to it and we'll be expanding it. We have more guards coming out from Templemore in August and as the year goes on we'll expand it and including out to the suburbs. So we are moving in the right direction,' he said.
