Be the light!

"I certainly don't think there's any need for any sort of formal review": Tánaiste Simon Harris disagrees with his own party colleague Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan, who called for Coimisiún na Méan to review media outlets' coverage of the fuel protests.

This is rather worrying this is a video of the trucks being impounded for "dangerous driving" as been reported by the MSM, From what I gather from the video and I am open to correction these lads were doing a slow protest, One of them claimed he had spoken to a guard as to what speed they could legally do. In steps what seems to be a off duty guard who it seems has put herself on duty, she is driving a private car as it does not have Garda marking nor the normal under cover lighting to be used in the case of a road stop. In my opinion this is only inflaming the situation she could have sent a marked car to talk to them as they seem like genuine lads but instead decided to impound the trucks and arrest the two lads. Even more worrying she called out the riot squad to arrest them, To be fair having viewed the video the lad was not aggressive I do not thing he posed a risk, he was driving a company truck and he was not asked to exit the cab of the truck, I would say if he was a risk the Audi would be in the ditch. Ireland cannot protect women on its streets now, crime has gone through the roof in recent years, but rather than saying lads enough is enough can you stop it she decided to go all out to "put manners" on these lads. We have seen another female guard belittle the protestors and suggest that they stuck our nations flag up their arse on video. This guard it seems like to swear a lot which is unprofessional. I do have one observation though Gardaí work according to approved rosters and shift patterns managed by their station or unit. Duty is assigned through the Roster and Duty Management System. Individual Gardaí do not have the authority to decide for themselves when they are "on duty" for normal policing work. They can be required to work overtime or be called in sometimes compulsory in emergencies, but voluntary overtime is usually offered and has been a point of dispute in the past. As far as the road traffic act is concerned The legislation focuses on maximum speed limits and offences for exceeding them in Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as updated by later Acts including the Road Traffic Act 2004 and 2024. There is no provision that creates a specific offence for driving below the speed limit. There is a provision for driving unreasonably slowly especially if it impedes traffic flow, creates hazard forcing dangerous overtakes on a busy road, or shows a lack of reasonable consideration can be prosecuted as careless driving under Section 52. There is no dedicated "driving too slowly" offence with its own fixed penalty in the same way as speeding. It would usually be dealt with as careless driving which can attract fixed charge notices for "driving without reasonable consideration", penalty points, or court prosecution. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Gardaí advise drivers to avoid driving too slowly, as it can frustrate other road users and contribute to collisions. The Rules of the Road document says: "Avoid driving too slowly. In normal road and traffic conditions, safely keep up with the pace of the traffic flow while obeying the speed limit." What the Law Says (Section 53) A person shall not drive a vehicle in a public place in a manner (including speed) which, having regard to all the circumstances of the case (including the condition of the vehicle, the nature, condition and use of the place, and the amount of traffic which then actually is or might reasonably be expected to be therein), is or is likely to be dangerous to the public. In practice, most cases of "driving too slowly" are dealt with as the lesser offence of careless driving (Section 52) "without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users". This often results in a fixed charge notice €80–€120 and 2 penalty points rather than a full dangerous driving prosecution. I would say it is not normal in ordinary circumstances to arrest a truck driver and impound their truck simply for driving too slowly, even during a "slow protest" go-slow convoy, if there has been no accident, no actual risk to life, and the driving has not crossed into clear dangerous or obstructive behaviour. Arrest requires reasonable suspicion of an arrestable offence which is generally more serious) or specific powers. Dangerous driving (Section 53) can justify arrest, but it needs evidence that the manner of driving including excessive speed was or was likely to be dangerous to the public not just inconvenient or frustrating. Impoundment or seizure of a vehicle is not automatic for slow driving or careless driving. Gardaí have powers to impound mainly for No insurance or no motor tax, Certain serious defects, Specific dangerous driving cases where the vehicle poses an ongoing risk (Section 109A). So if these lads were doing a slow protest as he insisted on the video then there are a lot of questions to be answered. These lads need a good solicitor and any video footage to reinforce their case.