Members of a Dublin policing committee have passed a motion condemning the use of masks by gardaí during the policing of an eviction of a property in the capital last week.
The Dublin Central Area Joint Policing Committee condemned "the use of masks by gardaí and their refusal to prevent violent behaviour by armed, unidentified private hired security at the building".
The motion by the Workers Party Councillor Eilis Ryan was passed without a vote.
It followed a Take Back the City housing protest last week that saw gardaí wearing fire-retardant hoods.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris defended the actions of gardaí, but said they should not have been wearing the hoods without also using protective helmets.
Today, senior gardaí told the committee that they were prohibited from commenting on the incident because there was an investigation under way.
The Garda Commissioner has sought a report on the incident from the Assistant Commissioner in charge of policing Dublin.
Councillors at the meeting criticised aspects of the incident, particularly the fact that the men evicting the property wore balaclavas.
Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam said private security staff have no right to have their faces hidden and that such people should be identifiable.
Councillor Christy Burke said "when democracy wears a mask it is in a dark place" and the incident "reminded him of the days of the SAS in south Armagh" and was "very disturbing".
The gardaí did not respond to a question from Councillor Burke as to whether the van used by the private company in the eviction last week was registered to police in Manchester.
Independent TD Maureen O'Sullivan said what happened was "regrettable" and she hoped lessons would be learned.
The city councillors also expressed concern about threats issued against a member of the gardaí on social media and described as "unacceptable" the "faceless attacks on social media by unaccountable people".
Councillor Burke condemned what he said was the lack of responsibility by Twitter and Facebook, which he said "allow incitement to hatred which puts people's lives in danger".
Superintendent Gerard Murphy, who is based in Store Street, told the committee that the garda role in protests was to protect the rights of all people.
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He said he noted the councillors' concerns and would come back to the committee when the Assistant Commissioner's report on the incident was finished.
Separately, General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors John Jacob has said the AGSI unequivocally condemns threats against gardaí on social media.
It comes after gardaí said they were investigating online threats made against a garda member working in Dublin.
It follows reports that a garda who policed the Take Back the City housing protest last week had been threatened after he was named and pictured on social media.
A picture of the garda and details of his daily movements were shared more than 1,300 times online and received more than 600 comments on social media.
The protest came just days after five people were arrested for public order offences during an eviction of a house on North Frederick Street in Dublin city.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Jacob said that the AGSI would be approaching social media companies this week to see how they could protect members.
He said these types of threats against gardaí were an ongoing problem.
Mr Jacob said: "We have an obligation to sit down with social media companies to look at how they are going to protect our members and prevent their images being put up online without their knowledge, against their will and for malicious purposes."
Elsewhere, the Minister for Justice and Equality said he was particularly worried about online attacks on gardaí, which were becoming a more frequent activity.
Charlie Flanagan said he was keen to ensure that proper supports were put in place for gardaí.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Mr Flanagan said he believed that social media companies could do more to "remove vile content online" and cooperate with gardaí.
The minister said he liaises with social media providers and there was a high-level Government committee dealing with these issues, monitoring ongoing developments and developing strategies.
Being a garda was, he said, a stressful occupation and difficult challenge.
He said: "Attacks on gardaí, particularly online, are becoming more and more a feature of online activity. And I believe the social media companies can do more in terms of a) removing some of the vile content online and secondly cooperating with the gardaí and the forces of law and order, in order to ensure we don't have the level of anonymity."
Mr Flanagan said he was "somewhat concerned" by images of gardaí wearing balaclavas and he did not like to see it.
However, he added that there are circumstances where gardaí would need to use protective uniform and he would be favourable to the idea that it could be made illegal to photograph a garda on duty.
This afternoon, the minister issued a statement clarifying comments he made about gardaí being photographed during the course of their duties.
He said: "I believe transparency is vitally important; I am on record as favouring Gardaí wearing body cameras.
"I also greatly value the role of the media in providing objective reporting. However, I am concerned about the public order dimension of Gardaí having multiple mobile phones thrust into their faces as they try to go about their policing duties.
"In my experience press photographers are professional in how they undertake their duties, they do not impede the Gardaí going about their work.
"This is regrettably not always the case where public order issues arise. The uploading of images of Gardaí undertaking their duties on social media and consequent threats and intimidation is unacceptable to me and that is why I am concerned."
The National Union of Journalists had expressed concern at a possible a ban on photographing gardaí.
NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley said: "The National Union of Journalists would be strongly opposed to the proposed restrictions.
"It is vital that all organs of the State operate in an open and transparent fashion.
"Those who exercise authority must have a reasonable expectation of public scrutiny and this applies, in particular, to the Gardaí and Defence Forces."
