Garda censorship

A shopowner in Dublin's North Inner City who had begun to stock An Phoblacht at the start of the month has been forced to withdraw the paper from sale following a visit from local Gardaí. The owner, who does not want to be identified, was told by officers that he was not allowed to sell 'that paper'.

The incident comes in the middle of a concerted paper sales drive by local republicans.

It is also an illegal act of intimidation of a legitimate business selling a legitimate newspaper.

One would think that the Gardaí would be more circumspect about acting outside the law, given the current spotlight on criminality in their ranks.