Cork fuel protest images AI-doctored to make gardaí look violent

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

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

Concerned

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."

At the Garda Representative Association’s annual conference last 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.

Doctored

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,” he said. “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.”

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, he added.

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