Tánaiste: TDs and election candidates need to be 'pulled up' on far-right comments

Politicians and election candidates need to be "pulled up" on far-right comments which incite hatred, the Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said.

Mr Coveney has told the Dáil that free speech is not the same as providing a free platform to spread whatever one thinks will gain political advantage or to bully or target someone.

"When candidates say things that are wrong, they need to get pulled up on it," he said.

"If they are decent people, they will apologise and try to correct the inaccuracies. If they are not, then the public will have to make a choice."

It comes after Verona Murphy, Fine Gael's by-election candidate in Wexford, was forced to apologise for remarks she made about people seeking asylum here.

In the Dáil, Independent TD Noel Grealish was recently accused of "disgraceful racism" after questioning money being sent home to Nigeria by migrants.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste if the Government would be introducing legislation ahead of the next general election to ensure that hate speech by parties or candidates is outlawed and that the spread of far-right messaging on social media is controlled and eliminated.

Mr Coveney said Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is already carrying out a review to make sure that the laws are "water-tight "and that "incitement to hatred, hate speech and spreading falsehoods, inaccuracies and lies that promulgate fear for political reasons can be responded to appropriately".

He said the challenge of social media platforms providing a platform for "blatant inaccuracies" must be debated by the Dáil in order to support new initiatives that the Government may introduce in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Shane Ross has criticised Ms Murphy claiming some of her remarks have been "irresponsible and wrong".

"She said she didn't approve of the RSA [Road Safety Authority] and wanted it abolished, she said all sorts of very critical things.

She said things which are bordering on the irresponsible, which are irresponsible.

"I thoroughly disagree with them as well."

It came after it was revealed that Ms Murphy as head of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) sent an email to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in which she said Mr Ross had "no comprehension as to what is good for Ireland".

Reacting, Mr Ross said: "What she said about me is really neither here nor there, but I think you should consider them as valuable and as worthy as what she said about other things which I strongly, strongly disagree with."