FG denies buying likes on Facebook

In a week where it has already denied buying votes with Budget 2015, Fine Gael has now had to reject claims that it is paying people to like it.

The party’s digital media department has claimed its Facebook page was spammed after eagle-eyed social media users noticed many of the “likes” on Fine Gael’s Budget Q&A were coming from fake accounts.

The post-budget online chat with junior minister Simon Harris received more than 2,500 likes, but closer scrutiny of those revealed scores of accounts based in Asia. “It does appear that FG bought 2,000 ‘likes’ from an Indian or Pakistani company,” one user posted on Fine Gael’s page. “If you click on the people who like there is barely a single Irish or European name, and I’m not being racist, most are currently stated as living in Pakistan or India.”