Journalists will be in danger if Gardaí keep demanding images as part of investigations.
The editor of one of Ireland’s leading news image agencies yesterday 'very reluctantly' handed over images from last year’s Dublin riots to Gardaí.
The riots in the capital on November 23rd saw Gardaí attacked, cars set on fire and shops looted.
On Lunchtime Live this afternoon, RollingNews editor Eamonn Farrell said he had no choice but to had Gardaí his images form the night after he was served with a warrant.
He said it is not the first time he has been forced to hand over images to the State.
"They arrived yesterday at an appointed time to our office in the Digital Hub and under protest we had to hand over the images we took on that night," he said.
"I was very reluctant to do it but to be honest this was the fifth time I've had to do it under protest.
"I do feel that the role of visual journalists as objective and independent recorders of events without fear or favour is being undermined by the Garda's insistence of doing this."
'They become very vulnerable'
Mr Farrell said Gardaí are looking for access to published and unpublished photographs.
"What they're looking for is everything that our photographers took on the night, which in previous cases has ended up being 350 to 400 pictures," he said.
"In this case [it's] probably about 100-plus images".
Mr Farrell said the situation could make photographers targets in the future.
"Our photographers, when they're covering these situations, are blind to what's happening around them because their eye is in the camera," he said.
"They become very, very vulnerable.
"Particularly our concern is when these protestors become aware that our images that we take on the night are going to be assessed by the Gardaí and used as evidence, probably, they will more inclined to take a very, very difficult view of our presence".
Level of threats
Mr Farrell said protesters are becoming more intimidating.
"I've been covering these events since before the H-block riots at the British embassy and I have never seen the level of intimidation and harassment that our photographers experienced at, not only this event but at far more lowkey events," he said.
"The level of abuse, the level of insult, the level of threats - that people's cars are going to have their tyres split, that their homes are going to be burned - is unbelievable.
"The problem is that these particular people are not interested in the media covering any of their events because they cover them themselves and send them out to their own followers.
"They don't want us present."
'They will be in danger'
Mr Farrell said he believes protesters would have 'no hesitation' in attacking journalists.
"I've no problem, for example, people taking pictures of us or videoing us, but while they're doing it they're abusing, pushing and threatening and this is escalating all the time," he said,
"I'm really concerned that one of our photographers, if the Guards continue on demanding the images the way they are and the word gets out that people may end up in court as a result of images taken by our photographers, then they will be in danger.
"These people are now burning down buildings so they'd have no hesitation in attacking photographers or other journalists".
Mr Farrell said the extent to which Gardaí are relying on photographers instead of using bodycams is "quite unacceptable".
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