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Indymedia Journalist Arrested in Car-Free Day Demo

Rowan Dempsey | 24.09.2001 15:15

Threatened by Senior Police not to publish footage

Irish Indymedia journalist Wolfe Fishbourne was arrested while filming the Gardaí forcefully remove activists and critical mass cyclists off the tarmac of Dublin's O'Connell St in a non-violent (quite humourous, in fact) sit-down demonstration during the Dublin Car-Free Day (22.09.01)
demonstration.
His dv camera was taken and he was put into a paddywagon with at least 4 other arrestees. The paddywagon was then used as part of a convoy of vehicles to slowly force the demonstration up the length of O'Connell St.
The arrestees were heard banging on the inside of the paddywagon, adding to the general atmosphere of rambunctiousness. Ever the opportunist, Fishbourne
then proceeded to interview the other arrestees using a spare dv camera he happened to be carrying.
He was held for four hours in Store St. station; his tapes were watched by the police but then returned along with cameras; his phone numbers up to 'j' were deleted from his mobile (??) and he was charged with three offences under the Criminal Justice Act.
Also, a reasonably senior Garda arrived in his Cell and Quoted an Act (Fishbourne doesn't remember it), and informed Fishbourne that if he broadcasted his footage he would be charged under this act as well. This was done in a "very proper" manner with a second officer coming into the cell and acting as a Witness during this.

More details to follow.

Rowan Dempsey

Comments

Display the following 5 comments

  1. and? — aAa
  2. Police footage — boya
  3. Response — Cormy
  4. check out some short vids of it — R.
  5. I WAS VIDEOGRAPHER ARRESTED — Wolfe