Corrib Gas Gardai story

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Sunny

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I need to be careful how I phrase this because I don't want to appear to be trivialising the issue but am I correct in saying the Gardai involved made the comments between themselves and not directly to the women involved and the comments were just caught on a confiscated camera?

When I first heard the story, I thought they had directly threatened to rape and deport the women involved. Not condoning their comments in any shape or form but if everything we said to colleagues when alone was recorded and used against us, how many of us would have jobs? That said, they must be complete ignornant cretins to think making jokes about rape was appropriate at any time.
 
Their comments were inappropriate, I heard the conversation on the radio and picture it, you're in the back of a police car, and two guards joke about raping you because you dont give your name! I would feel threatened, it may have been said in jest - but you never know!!!
 
pinkyBear said:
Their comments were inappropriate, I heard the conversation on the radio and picture it, you're in the back of a police car, and two guards joke about raping you because you dont give your name! I would feel threatened, it may have been said in jest - but you never know!!!
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The women weren't in the car. The guards were alone in the car with a video camera still recording unbeknowst to them. It sounds nasty though - I initially thought it might have been something along the lines of saying the women were attractive and they wouldn't mind, ahem, going out with them. But it just sounded so cretinous 'we should say 'give us your name or we'll rape you'' - really inappropriate but also strangely immature too.
 
pinkyBear said:
Their comments were inappropriate, I heard the conversation on the radio and picture it, you're in the back of a police car, and two guards joke about raping you because you dont give your name! I would feel threatened, it may have been said in jest - but you never know!!!
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That's the point. They didn't hear it. They only heard the comments when they were released and got their camera back. Yet reading the papers today, apparently they feared for their lives almost.
 
pinkyBear said:
Their comments were inappropriate, I heard the conversation on the radio and picture it, you're in the back of a police car, and two guards joke about raping you because you dont give your name! I would feel threatened, it may have been said in jest - but you never know!!!
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The women were not in the car with the guards at the time of the conversation.

The women were arrested, the camera was confiscated - unbeknownst to the guards who confiscated it, it was actually running. The women went off in one car, at least 3 guards plus the camera went off in another car. The conversation was a private conversation between 3 collegues.

It was direly inappropriate, and the fact one of them was a sergeant he should have had the cop on to say 'lads, dont be making jokes about rape'. He didnt.

Its a bit of a storm in a teacup, tbh the conversation sounded like a bunch of teenagers having a guffaw about something inappropriate - not grown men who are officers of the law who one would hope had more sense.

It does show a disturbing attitude to the crime of rape by the men involved, its not a laughing matter and nor should it be joked about - but people are people and make inappropriate jokes in private all the time.
 
orka said:
But it just sounded so cretinous 'we should say 'give us your name or we'll rape you'' - really inappropriate but also strangely immature too.
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I only heard the recording once but it sounded like the guard was saying the woman would be deported and probably raped. I took it he meant she could be raped after she was deported, not that it makes it right to joke about it.
 
"The women were not in the car with the guards at the time of the conversation."
Fair enough, the comments though were inappropriate, whether or not the girls were present.

"But it just sounded so cretinous 'we should say 'give us your name or we'll rape you'' - really inappropriate but also strangely immature too."
Completely agree, but you know some guards just thinks they are gods, and above the law!!!
 
I listened to the recording a few times... one thing I noticed is that one of the women repeatedly makes the comment that she doesn't want her friend to be alone with the Guard who is arresting her... I don't have the direct quote to hand but it was along the lines of 'she's not safe with that man'.

To play devils advocate, it is the women that were making inferences at the outset that they were not safe in the company of the Gardai and this led to the comments uttered in the car on the way back to the station. ie the Guards were reacting (in sarcastic jest) to the suggestion that the women were in danger in their company...

Needless to say any joking about such a horrible crime is crass in the extreme.
 
I think it is just a case of 3 immature blokes - regardless of their profession - if i overheard anybody make those comments i would just think - Grow Up
 
truthseeker said:
It does show a disturbing attitude to the crime of rape by the men involved, its not a laughing matter and nor should it be joked about - but people are people and make inappropriate jokes in private all the time.
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I can see why it is a story in this regard but that is a wider problem within society and is not confined to those three idiots. I really don't see why there are two investigations, front page newspaper headlines, prime time reports and politicians speaking in the Dail on the matter.
 
PetrolHead said:
Recording here....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEVdPRpz908

Listen and judge for yourselves....
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Thats literally just the piece about the rape joke, there is a much longer recording where you can hear the women being arrested and as Gianni says - there is some talk about one of the women not being safe with some man. Also there is some talk of resisting arrest and the woman is clearly stating that she is not resisting arrest but that is concerned for the safety of her friend.

Full recording here:
http://vimeo.com/21952231
 
Normally I'd think the prominence of this story was due to a slow news week but with Japan and Libya, amongst other things, that's not the case. The Garda shouldn't be going on like that but it was a stupid private exchange. If any law was broken it surely was illegal, if perhaps unintentional, recording. As such it should have been either deleted or given to the Garda Commissioner to be dealt with internally.
 
Start of the video is the women refusing to identify herself

The vast majority of the video is on safety procedures. Pretty boring stuff and I see Dublin Shell to Sea didn't bother to subtitle that.
 
Wasnt a funny joke, but its clear that they werent advocating/threatening rape etc., so they should get a kick up the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language, told to make sure they're not being recorded, and tone down the "wit" while they're in uniform.

Dont have much sympathy for the Shell to Sea protest, rent-a-crowd republicans to a fair degree. They showed their true colours with their assault of security guards and destruction of property. Think of all the money wasted because of them.
 
The subject is not funny but this is just what is called macho canteen culture in a private conversation. As some one has said a stupid exchange between men. I do know that people in the emergency services like police, firemen, ambulance crews and even nurses in accident and emergency often joke on their breaks about matters they experience like suicides, murders etc. They have to. If they carried all the emotional baggage around they would end up in hopspitals themselves. The important thing is when they are dealing with the victims etc they act professionally.
 
Betsy Og said:
Wasnt a funny joke, but its clear that they werent advocating/threatening rape etc., so they should get a kick up the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language, told to make sure they're not being recorded, and tone down the "wit" while they're in uniform.

Dont have much sympathy for the Shell to Sea protest, rent-a-crowd republicans to a fair degree. They showed their true colours with their assault of security guards and destruction of property. Think of all the money wasted because of them.
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+1 on both points.
 
so they should get a kick up the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language, told to make sure they're not being recorded, and tone down the "wit" while they're in uniform.
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I couldnt disagree with you more Betsy Og. Correct, they werent actually advocating rape but they were trivialising it. That is NOT acceptable.

told to make sure they're not being recorded
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So they can continue to trivialise matters that can change a perspn's whole life but just make sure no one hears?

And lastly, its not wit, whether you put the word in inverted commas or not.

I know this type of thing probably goes on in all walks of life when you have irresponsible people holding and sharing idiotic thoughts like this but the fact of the matter is they were caught and there should be something done about it
 
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