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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has confirmed the Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald has recently received correspondence from a member of the gardaí under whistleblower legislation.
The confirmation comes after a report in The Irish Examiner today by Mick Clifford which stated a report was made under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 alleging that garda management orchestrated a campaign to undermine and attack the character of a whistleblower.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil today that he was aware of today’s newspaper report about attempts to undermine the whistleblowers “through encouraging officers to attack his character, creating an intelligence file on him, monitoring his activities on the PULSE system, making false allegations about his character and briefing elements of the media and selected politicians in a similar vein”.
Protected disclosure
He confirmed Fitzgerald had received the report and is examining the contents.
Let me confirm for the House that the Tánaiste has recently received correspondence from members of the Garda Síochána under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which is now being considered.
The Tánaiste will consider now how best to proceed in relation to these protected disclosures and take whatever action may be deemed appropriate.
Kenny said that Minister Fitzgerald also referred the matter to the independent Policing Authority.
“It will make its views known,” said the Taoiseach.
He added that he has not seen the correspondence or the report, but said:
“… it may well be there are matters here beyond what would be a normal GSOC analysis or investigation.”
Undermining the whistleblower
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he was very concerned about reports that whistleblowers were being “strategically undermined and under attack, both their personal and professional reputations at the instigation of senior garda management”.
Disclosures have now been made to that effect by a senior officer of the force, that essentially, this campaign involved dissemination of texts across a range of gardaí; the opening of an intelligence file on the whistleblowers; undermining the whistleblowers in relation to their character.
In essence, it was a character assassination attack… this was organised and that people who engaged in it were engaging in it under instruction.
Martin said the matter “demands a fairly dramatic response from government”.
Kenny was also keen to highlight the importance of confidentiality in relation to protected disclosures.
While Martin agreed with the Taoiseach he said the activity “goes beyond that and cuts to the very heart of how a police force should be operating”.
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Apparently two thirds of “child” immigrants turn out to not be children when challenged.
The people who really suffer here are the genuine child immigrants.
@Damocles: A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weekd will show that these children have been responsible for some horrific rapes including gang-rapes.
@MackPilon: One can find anything when perusing Brietbart alright.
@Guy Incognito: Normally I ignore trolling but in your case i will make an exception “A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weeks” You are aware that they have newspapers on the Continent ?
@MackPilon: ‘A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weeks’ is no substitute for a reliable link.
I believe what the report said was two thirds of those who had their age challenged were found not to be children. Not two thirds of all child refugees.
@Brendan O’Brien:Gawd another one, try Google as there are too many links for thejournal to handle
@MackPilon: You claim that children trying to get into Britain have been involved in rapes on the Continent. You need to support that in some way; otherwise it will appear that you are trying to smear child refugees in general.
Damocles. This isn’t anything new. Do a Google on athletics cross country competitions in some African countries and there isn’t a hope some of the lads competing under age are actually underage. They are clearly fully grown adults.
It’s a very minor issue that is being used to fuel a general anti-refugee, anti-immigrant mindset and the agenda of the far right.
A minor issue? Good grief. You can be sure that if you put incorrect information on your landing card in New York or Sydney you’d be pulled up on it immediately. I think the phrase you are looking for is anti illegal immigrant rather than anti immigrant. And fraudulently entering a country by giving incorrect information whether by accident or on purpose is quite serious.
Brendan O Brien: I’m against mass immigration and 100% against refugees coming to europe, but am not far right or even just right lol!
@Ian O Connell: The left are obsessed with the idea that the evil capitalists create racism, and borders, to divide and rule the working class. So anyone paying what they deem to be an inappropriate amount of attention to something like abuses of the asylum system must be on the side of the capitalists – therefore far right. I won’t even begin to pick apart how detached from reality they are.
Far be it for me to praise the Daily Mail but they ran a similar article yesterday with actual photos. Some of these “children” were grown men!
@Martin Flood: I wouldn’t put much trust in the Daily Mail when it comes to this stuff, their record of xenophobia is mind boggling and they peddle this stuff to their followers and have done for generations. Paper never refused ink could have been coined to describe them alone.
Whatever your views of these children, or not children, or whatever, the Daily Mail is the probably the most disgraceful publication on the planet.
Joe Arthur: or probably not.
There’s others that go by the description of “sacred books” that are far more vile than the DM.
@Martin Flood: I occasionally read the Daily Mail and it feels like a cross between a creche, a zoo and a care home. You just need a big bag of salt to take regular pinches from. Good fun though unless you’re on the receiving end of their “journalism”.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Ah here lads, youse could have warned me about all the diddys before I went to see what the fuss was about the Mail
@Joe Arthur Hardly any more Joe, especially the Irish edition of the Mail, which on social issues is quite liberal. This issue is also a problem in schools, where some migrant ‘children’ register for a school place to secure children’s allowance. Free for all open border globalism is causing a lot of problems
I have seen some of these child migrants on the BBC, some are clearly in their middle 20′s but claim to be 14 or 15.
Got to hand it to them, they have some balls………….
Sure we all did that in the days of trying to get into Hollywood nights!!!
Well, lie about your age for a chance of living like the luckty ones or go back to hell… Not the bravest decision ever. Sensible more than anything.
The onus of proof should be on the person making an asylum claim, including compliance with testing, whatever the method used to satisfy doubts.
You’re right Greg, but it’s probably racist somehow, isn’t everything racist now?
Ah racism, the curse of the unenlightened.
In Sweden, they call the phenomenon of unaccompanied minors turning out to be fully grown men; Beard Children.
Some of the “children” were approaching pension age.
And they’re all pregnant, even the men.
Is being 35 and claiming you’re 16 inappropriate and unethical?
Depends on why you’re doing it.
I suppose. Doing it to fraudulently enter a country would probably not be wise.
I’m struggling to think of a situation where somebody who’s 35 and claiming to be 16 isn’t inappropriate and unethical. Can you give us examples where it’s not, Neal?
@Beachmaster: If you’re playing Spiderman?
@Beachmaster:
Pretty sure its ok for a 35 year old to claim to be 16 on facebook
The poor little urchins, having to lie about their age to escape the terrible persecution of France.
Look at this guy. Teeth records shouldn’t be needed just common sense. But they’re sorely lacking that in Sweden and also, it would appear in the U.K.http://www.prisonplanet.com/sweden-pediatrician-says-some-refugee-children-are-actually-40-years-old.html
Same problem has existed for a long time in Europe’s asylum system. People with unknown identities, ages,criminal records and origins should not be permitted entry to any sane country. Take the 60 year old Christian woman whipped for selling alcohol in Indonesia instead. That would be both ethical and compatible with self preservation.
Do they get supplied with shavers for free with gel and aftershaves..
Shouldn’t this article read “Politicians unhappy that migrants are abusing the system”?
Or maybe “Liberal luvvies happy that migrants are abusing the system”
Yeah the jihadist’s have started arriving in Britain from calais disguised as kids, fantastic.
I’m in favour of a straight up polygraph test, should find out much more regarding truthfulness in statements made regarding background, origins, affiliations or past criminal activity…
I like the way it’s ‘unethical’ to conduct an age test, but lying on a asylum application is perfectly fine.
Every alleged asylum seeker needs to be processed before they are granted asylum in another country, it has now become a farce.
Medical ethics have a very much made-up-on-the-fly feel to them sometimes. There’s mandatory drawing of blood for all sorts of purposes, and nary a squeak about it. Is a dental X-ray to establish whether a crime is being committed really so different?
You should see some of the U10′s or U12′s or U14′s etc playing schools football each weekend. And it only benefits the oddball manager who is thrilled that his star can score multiple hat tricks against kids 5 years younger. We have been living with this for years now.
Wheres all the innocent little girls? seem to be all blokes.
Would you trust these guys around your daughter, niece, sister, mother, grand-mother, aunt ?
Any libtard that wishes to accuse me of being a racist is welcome to do so.
In Greece, a Syrian 15-year-old boy called Firas is being held in juvenile detention. He was sent on his own by his parents, who are in Turkey, because they didn’t have enough for the whole family to be smuggled in. Because hes’ not Turkish, the Turkish government won’t let him re-enter Turkey. Two activists – an American woman and her husband, who is a Syrian refugee – are hoping to become his legal guardians so that he will be released.
Many Middle-Eastern and Central Asian, e.g. Afghan, parents who originate from areas of conflict are irresponsible – they send the children on their own with people-smugglers. Therefore, it is Firas’s parents’ fault that he is apart from them. Parents who actually love their children would never do that to them.
If as claimed two thirds of the ‘children’ who claim asylum in the UK are in fact adults, then that raises obvious questions as to whether the same happens in this country. We should perform these tests here too
@Rosa Parks: No it’s something more like two thirds of those whose age is tested. The dental tests are not all that reliable anyway and Irish dentists, like the Swedes too, will probably baulk at doing it. France does bone tests I believe – another reason not to apply for asylum in France of course. There is no real getting around the fact that it’s just crazy to allow people to enter your country when you have no idea who they are.
They are fully grown adults not children!!! What the fudge!!??????
@June Rose-Sommer: It’s racist to judge their age from their photos apparently. Their feelings might be hurt over internet waves or something.
Seems logical, though some of the commenters here might not realise that living in extreme poverty does add years to your appearance . . .
Does it increase the facial hair growth?
I had teenage friends from Pakistan and so on, who looked over 20. I think their dark skins and the growth of facial hair increases how old they look
@Liviu Flore: It does happen, of course. But it’s not really about this group and a few photos. There are huge incentives for migrants to claim to be underage throughout Europe – because we quite rightly treat children travelling alone differently to adults. Including in the criminal justice system and when it comes to deportation.
And the phenomenon of migrants lying about their age is very well documented. It”s what many sensible youngish looking people would do if you were in their shoes weighing up the costs and incentives before you. The only debate in France, Sweden etc is about what to do about it. Spoiler alert: they have no idea.
Dental Plan……
Some of them adults are trying to pass as children?
I used to say i was 15 on the bus for child fare. Then say i was 21 to get into nightclubs. We are all guilty of telling these white lies. LOL
The UK is such a police state. Glad we’re nowhere near as bad as that over here
David (josef mengle )Davies. Experiment on refugees!hmm? That sounds familiar
@Gerry Fallon: And the Godwin’s Law prize for the day goes to you.
@Gerry Fallon: Its a ridiculous comparison.
It’s a joke.lighten up
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