GARDAÍ FEEL UNSAFE in their homes as numerous online threats are identifying their children in posts in a campaign of intimidation linked to the fuel protests, a garda has said. 

Detective Garda Niall Hodgins, who is the incoming president of the Garda Representative Association was speaking at the group’s annual delegate conference in Westport this evening. 

A number of garda investigations are now underway to identify the people who are carrying out the intimidation and the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said that he is hopeful of prosecutions.

Last week The Journal reported that gardaí had launched investigations into multiple incidents of so-called doxxing, where the personal details of a targeted person, such as their address, are released on line. Posts, seen by The Journal, have been published online with comments calling on people to attack the homes of officers or “run them out” of where they are living. 

Hodgins, said that the GRA condemns the online attacks and said that members are now feeling exposed as they work protest. 

“To target any member of An Gardaí Síochána in this manner undermines the effectiveness of policing in society and how it does that, it is that the policeman or policewoman and their families cannot feel safe in their own homes. 

“I would challenge anybody that would suggest that actions like that could be in any way justified to even perhaps exceed whatever point they may be making.

“We absolutely condemn that. We would welcome the Commissioner’s commitments to pursue these people and bring a prosecution before courts as soon as possible in relation to that and we strongly support him in that aspect,” he said. 

GRA President Mark O’Meara outlines the key issues for this year’s annual delegate conference. Follow along for more on the @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/yXo3AmyVp3

— Niall O’Connor (@NiallJournal_ie) April 20, 2026

Hodgins said that the posts are going viral online and being reshared by numerous people.  

“But it goes further than that. It goes to identify members’ private stuff, with regards to their families, where they may live, and indeed, it goes as far as to identifying who their children may be so to target any public servant in this manner is completely outrageous, and we need tools to deal with this phenomenon.’

Hodgins said the GRA believe that new legislation is needed to protect gardaí and their families. 

“We would feel that our legislators may be behind in this particular area.

“So we just feel that agitators that may join genuine protests are utilising these tools to attack our members, to advance their own self-indulgent views,” he added. 

Ronan Slevin, GRA General Secretary, said the threats are having a direct impact on the ability of the gardaí to their work. 

“It’s very hard to have confidence in your policing when you realise any actions you’re taking in line with ensuring the safety of the public and the State that your family is going to be threatened, your children identified.

“The effect that has on the gardaí, their families who have no involvement in your job, it has very wide ramifications,” he said.