The right to protest

YOU report the Garda Commissioner’s condemnation of social media threats (‘Commissioner condemns social media threats to eviction garda’, Irish

Independent, September 17).

We are very fortunate since the foundation of the State to have an unarmed police force which took over after 700 years of oppression and a very bloody civil war.

The Garda Síochána was comprised of men from families who were on both sides of the civil war and it also encompassed men from the RIC, who as a body were hated by both sides a few months earlier.

As expected, the appointment of high ranking RIC officers to the Garda caused a mini mutiny, but Michael Collins was not to be put off.

The Garda was not without casualties as thousands of dissident republicans carried out attacks.

The first of these was in Cobh in March 1924, when four gunmen wounded 18 British soldiers and killed one .

Despite a reward of £10,000 nobody was identified .

In November 1926, two members of the Garda were shot dead during a raid on 12 Garda Barracks .

While there was no social media back then, a lady named Sheila Redmond attempted to create disaffection by the use of pamphlets at a number of trials of people for shooting at gardaí.

With the change of government in 1932, new Taoiseach Éamon de Valera made a declaration that no public servants including gardaí would lose their jobs though they might be identified as Cumann na nGaedheal supporters. This declaration is outlined in Ronan Fanning’s book ‘Independent Ireland’, which has in interesting cartoon on its cover showing Daniel O’Connell looking down at Mr de Valera and saying: “Begob, Éamon, there are great changes around here.”

The 1969 bitter fighting between the Belfast mobs and the Catholics in Derry resulted in attacks on the British Embassy in Dublin which “were dispersed when the Garda Síochána baton charged protesters”.

Unfortunately the special powers given to the Garda during the Troubles have lingered.

Dr Garret FitzGerald in his autobiography claims that he “contemplated resigning on the issue of Garda brutality by the Heavy Gang”.

The authorities should remember that the right to protest is a normal event in democratic societies. Hugh Duffy

Cleggan, Co Galway