Consequences of taking down a poster

insert-gear

Hi All,

Youth Defence and similar organisations have started putting up posters on lamposts etc with messages like "Kill the Bill, not the child". One of these has gone up on the lampost outstide my house. I absolutely do not want it there and I'm trying to find out if there are any legal consequences of taking it down.

The posters are on what I would consider public property e.g roundabouts, lamposts and telephpone poles. Similar to during an election. I seem to remember there are consequences for taking down election posters but not sure if this applies to posters against the proposed abortion legislation.

Any advice or direction on where to find a definite answer is appreciated.

Thanks

Corkbah

at worst you can be charged with criminal damage - IF - you are caught in the process of damaging the poster - I doubt very much that anything would happen if you clipped the cable-tie and stored it in another place (out of sight)

lawfilly

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/environmental_protection/litter_law.html

Scroll down to the section on posters and signs.

Placing posters such as that on a pole may constitute littering this jurisdiction unless the organisation has express permission from the owner of the pole etc.
You wont get in trouble for taking it down.

insert-gear

Who owns telephone poles and lamposts? The county council? I may enquire if they have permission to put up the signs.

LowKeyReturn

May I ask what you find so offensive about the poster that you think you've a right to impinge on someone's freedom of expression*, beyond the whole abortion debate of course.

These type of posters are fairly common place in regards to politics here. Personally I think their pretty daft.

*Presupposing they have permission.

Cody Pomeray

I'm not sure whether it's disturbing or reassuring how, even if people want to prevent the free exchange of ideas, they want to be all legally correct about it !

What are we afraid of?

insert-gear

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

May I ask what you find so offensive about the poster that you think you've a right to impinge on someone's freedom of expression*, beyond the whole abortion debate of course.

These type of posters are fairly common place in regards to politics here. Personally I think their pretty daft.

*Presupposing they have permission.

I have personal reasons by being affected by the poster. It's outside my home and I have to see it every day. It's a very emotional issue for some people.

From what the county council it doesn't that the posters may not satisfy the conditions required to be posted legally and I should report it to their litter warden which I will do tomorrow.

seamus

Altering the orientation of the poster without damaging it has no consequences and may solve your problem depending on the location of the lamppost

Losty Dublin

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

May I ask what you find so offensive about the poster that you think you've a right to impinge on someone's freedom of expression*, beyond the whole abortion debate of course.

These type of posters are fairly common place in regards to politics here. Personally I think their pretty daft.

*Presupposing they have permission.

Outside my house is a road sign which is a common target for posters for elections and referenda but oddly enough only from extreme/fringe sides like "No to" or far left/right parties (Maybe their internal structure/electoral directors are less clued up about these things or maybe its volunteers who are just sheer reckless.). Regardless of the messages on them the signs often cover part of the road sign; they protrude into both our garden and the pathway and they are within 4 metres of my and next doors front window and are something of an eyesore for up to a month.

On these issues I feel OP's pain, notwithstanding the substantive issue