Harrassed by Garda taking a photo

On a side note, Anytime I've asked a Gardai for a photo/portrait (including one for an online & regular exhibition) they've always been super cool. I get the impression they're told it's a good idea to be agreeable.

We’re they wearing their hats? It’s very important that they wear their hats.

Usually there is a news story and people are aware of journalists and that things are being recorded. Or it's some kind of feel good crowd, group picture, where no one is specifically being targeted.

But to wander around directly taking pictures of people without their permission is entitled, ignorant of the targets feelings, concerns, right to privacy and it's just creepy.

It’s the complete opposite of common sense, as well as a lack of manners to be taking photos of people in public places the way he was.

some stranger takes a deliberate foto of me, or my children in a public place and he/she is being challenged, and go t fcuk with any legal gick

No. Not a hard man. What a stupid response.

I’m walking in a public place and a stranger comes up to me and takes my foto, and I challenge him on this. And you come back with your gick

Another incredibly stupid response.

You lost the argument with your “hard man” crap.

You’re on a roll of stupidness!

That's what you call "being harassed" .

If that experience left you very intimidated, I bet there are ways how to get help...and don't forget to record all of it.

Public "have a right" to know all of it.

If I was on the street and some complete stranger pulled out his phone/camera whatever and took my photo I certainly wouldn’t like it and he’d be lucky to have it intact when he got home. It’s a scummy thing to do.

Friend of mine did the exact same thing when walking home, because the gardai were slamming the drunk/homeless man up and down on the footpath.

The gardai approached him similarly, he put his phone away but was rugby tackled and handcuffed. Brought to the station where they dragged him along the ground and slammed him up and down on the floor while handcuffed. Left him in the cell for the night and then charged with public order offense in the morning. He fought it in court, the judge took the gardai's side and fined him 300 euro.

So I wouldn't be crying over a few dirty looks. They absolutely hate being photographed or video'd though IMO should all have to wear body cams anyway.

And while it's true they should have zero expectation of privacy in public, if they decide to act in the manner in OP or in the case above, good luck fighting it. They get away with a lot.

One last thing: his card was marked after that they stopped him several times afterwards walking home at night to harass him.

You weren’t innocently taking street fotos, or were you?

I interpreted it that you went out of your way to target gardai by deliberately photographing them in the course of their duty.

They reacted, as pretty much most people would, yet you’re throwing out the “I did nothing illegal” nonsense, so this means they had to just grin and bear it? Utter nonsense. You were being a nuisance here, and as well as that, any persons could well have viewed your actions as deliberately hostile and intimidatory; so your nothing illegal angle here is bull.

What is 'suspicious' about taking photographs or video of a public incident like this please?

This is exactly the obtuse nonsense view here. Trying to lump in all examples as being the same. The OP here was being a nuisance. It’s not even about anyone’s right to privacy.

It’s about common courtesy, decency and respect. Most people don’t go around targeting others to video or photograph in order to satisfy whatever agenda is going on in their heads.

And the vast majority people would absolutely not want themselves being deliberately videoed or photographed by strangers. And hiding behind the stranger “is doing nothing illegal” only highlights an ignorance of the bigger picture, pardon the pun.

Many people take photographs. The take generic photographs of a crowd scene at a match or of people listening to a busker on the street

If you take a direct photograph of an individual for no reason, whether it's the fat lady walking the dog or the lad stumbling after a few pints then there is an invasion of privacy.

I have a huge issue with the thinking that people are entitled to take photographs of people who have to work.in a public place whether it's a parking warden, a TV licience inspector, a clamper or a Garda etc.

Most people taking these photos are doing so with phones and I tend to publish on social media. These people have rights that there jobs will not follow them around when they are not working

If you intended to use those photos on social media, the Garda had every right to challenge you over it. He just used the wrong terminology . He should have warned you that you had personal data belong to him and he did not want it posted on social media.

Most idiots think they have no responsibility after taking a photo, they are not in charge of data and are responsible for what happens to that data.

The question is why did you take the photograph and what was your plan to do with it.

Was it to sell it to a newspaper fair enough and if the published it then it's there responsibility

Was it to make a complaint to the Garda ombudsman or a senior Garda officer?

Or was you intention to publish on social media?

This is becoming more and more of an issue. People post the picture of the fat lady with a comment or the person a bit tipsy. It was Nomai Campbell I think that won damages against a newspaper because they photographed her entering a drink/ drugs rehabilitation meeting.

No worker carrying out there job should be photographed where the dole intention is to intimidate them.

There is right to privacy and not to be harassed or intimidated especially if you are going about your job

Nothing remotely angry about my post at all. Bizarre anyone would interpret it that way. The eff word nothing more than for emphasis.

On the contrary, the OP seemed irritated/exasperated by it all. I simply pointed out his being a deliberate nuisance.

so, no fuses blowing with me.

The problem is not the taking of the photo it is what is done afterwards. Idiots that have the attitude that there rights trump everybody's else's

There is no need to stop CCTV or to preventing a person taking general photos. Where in lies the issues is where someone posts these on social media and the conquences. There has been young people who have taken there own lives over posting of photos 'taken in a public place''

That is where you are incorrect. I guarantee if you posted photos of traffic wardens or TV licience inspectors, LA's and An Post would take action over it and would win those cases in court.

You are incorrect about there being unlimited freedom to post anything you photograph onto social media. Where that can be construed as an attempt to intimidate those individuals you could be prosecuted.

On a side not I am amazed at he absolute ignorance of some posters here. They seem to think there is unlimited rights to do what you like. I am appalled that many see people who earn there livelyhood working in public as fair game.

It's immaterial whether it's a Garda, a clamper, a traffic warden, a Binman, a bouncer at a nightclub etc. They are entitled not to be photographed or videoed and it posted on social media. If they are doing something illegal well and good photo/ film it and report it to the appropriate bodies.

Most of the so called rights brigade only want to film activity where they see a perceived wrong doing by a person who is a person providing or enforcing an activity.

Most would p!ss on themselves if they had to do that work. It easily shown by the way a snowflake started this thread

Would you like your photo being taken if you were the person in the accident or family member?

It was only a few weeks ago a poor woman took her life after being filmed in public.