Sinn Féin suspend ex-fighter over rape remarks

Sinn Féin has officially suspended Tallaght South councillor Paddy Holohan from the party after further excerpts from his infamous podcast showed him claiming that “loads” of young women are committing acts of sexual extortion.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald, at a campaign stop in Bray, Co Wicklow, declared the comments to be “beyond offensive” and said that she “actually found them upsetting”.

“I’m very, very shocked,” she said, adding that she had initiated party disciplinary procedures against Mr Holohan.

"Though she initially denied that those procedures amount to a suspension, the party subsequently said that Mr Holohan, who topped the poll in his constituency at last year’s local elections, had been suspended with immediate effect.

“It petrifies me… that somebody could turn around and say I’m literally just going to say that you attacked me if you don’t give me 10 grand,” Mr Holohan had said on an edition of his No Shame podcast. “I put my hand on my heart and tell you it does happen. And it is happening out there.”

“There is some f***ing scum women out there as well,” the councillor, who is not a candidate for the coming election, said.

The former MMA star had earlier this week been reported to have made disparaging comments regarding Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s Indian heritage and the fact that he in Mr Holohan’s opinion does not represent a “family man”, comments which on Thursday prompted an apology, which was accepted by Ms McDonald.

Asked what had changed since that apology the Sinn Fein leader replied “have you seen today’s comments?”.

“I have and I’ve made my own judgement on that,” she said, adding that she had only heard them in the previous 40 minutes.

On the policy front, Ms McDonald said “we have a set of proposals to deal with the trolley crisis, to open more beds, and to end the embargo on recruitment of staff, of doctors and nurses and midwives”.

She also said with regard to the ongoing gangland crisis being seen that SinnFein wanted to see the nature of the Special Criminal Court reviewed.

The Special Criminal Court is a juryless court which tries terrorism and serious organised crime cases.

“We have a Special Criminal Court and yet these thugs and gangsters are still on the streets,” she said.

“Most of us believe fundamentally that where you can trial by jury is democratically the best option. Our strong preference is for jury trials.”

Meanwhile, remarks suggesting that Sinn Fein and his party Fianna Fail are very alike made by Donegal TD Pat “The Cope” Gallagher were dismissed by Ms McDonald.

Mr Gallagher, speaking on RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta with regard to what coalition partners Fianna Fail might consider should they be in a position to form a Government, had bucked the trend of his own leader Micheal Martin, not to mention that of Fine Gael and Labour, all of whom who had suggested that they would not share power with Sinn Fein.

“We’re actually very different in our political approach and political style. What we do have in common is those of us who are elected and have a democratic mandate, we do have that in common,” she said.

“I would like us also to have in common a basic level of respect for the people who vote for us. To disrespect the people who vote for us is simply not acceptable,” she said.

She said however that she is “glad” that Mr Gallagher had “broken the trend and bucked the trend”.