Madam, - In the light of the inability of all 125 gardai on dutyduring the Reclaim the Streets Protest on Mayday to identify a singleone of their colleagues, surely the DPP should immediately drop allcharges against those protesters charged.
If the gardai on duty are incapable of being able to identify asingle one of their own colleagues, people they see every day of theweek, how can their identification of complete strangers have any hopeof being accepted by the courts?
Any case based on evidence by gardai who could not even recognisetheir fellow officers who accompanied them from their own stations,travelling close together in official cars, and then stood alongsideeach other on Dame Street, will doubtlessly be thrown immediately outby the judge. I know Justice is supposed to be blind, but surely notthe witnesses.
Also, the Minister of Justice should instruct the Garda authoritiesto immediately withdraw these 125 gardai from duty until they havetaken an eye test and been issued with proper spectacles. Surely it isthe employer's duty to ensure employees can see where they are goingbefore being sent out to work. It is a basic health and safety issue. Ilook forward to prompt action by both DPP and Minister of Justice.-Yours, etc.,
Kingsland Park Avenue,
Portobello,
Dublin.