'Disturbing rise' in young people planning and filming attacks, Dáil hears 

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty: 'It is clear that social media companies are not doing enough to root out this violent content from their platforms.'

There is a "disturbing rise" in young people orchestrating attacks and filming them for public online consumption, the Dáil has heard.

Calling for social media companies to act and remove such content, Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said he was “utterly disgusted and sickened to the core” to see the video of an attack on a boy in Navan.

The 14-year-old was walking home from school on Monday when he was attacked by several boys and a "stomach-churning" video of the incident was circulated online. The assault is under investigation by gardaí who said the boy suffered “serious facial injuries”.

Claiming that there is a “disturbing rise” in these attacks for online circulation, Mr Doherty added: “Many have warned that this is leading to a rise in violence on our streets and indeed in our communities. It is clear that social media companies are not doing enough to root out this violent content from their platforms.

“If I was the parent of that young child I don't know how I'd be able to deal with not being able to go on social media without seeing your son being attacked in that vicious way.” 

While acknowledging that the majority of people who shared the video did not do so “out of any malice intent, but to express their revulsion at the heinous attack on an innocent and defenceless young child", Mr Doherty said the sharing of such content online can have “devastating consequences” for victims who have “already suffered enough”.

Tánaiste Michael Martin described the video as "stomach-churning", saying: “The country is sickened and very disturbed by this shocking attack on a young boy”.

“There has been increased violence against our LGBTI community in the country, which is quite disturbing,” he said. Taking Leaders' Questions in the Dáil, the Tánaiste said progress has been made regarding the online safety commissioner, however, he did not have a timeline for when it would be up and running.

“It will have very, very important work to do to prevent online violence, online bullying that has become a phenomenon,” he said.

Mr Martin said there must be a more rapid response from social media companies in removing such videos.

Earlier, the Taoiseach condemned an attack on the boy in Navan and hit out at “sick individuals” who post videos of incidents online.

"The young man who was in that video. I really feel for him. He shouldn't have been subjected to that violence. He shouldn't have been humiliated by having that video posted online," Leo Varadkar said.

"It is a very sick type of individual who posts pictures and videos with the purpose of humiliating other people."

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, he said he can "only imagine" how the victim is feeling now.

Mr Varadkar said: “I grew up in 1980s, 1990s Ireland. I had a great childhood, but, ultimately, I was the brown guy with the funny name who a lot of people suspected was gay.

“I would have some insight into what it's like not to be the popular kid in school.

All I’d say to the young man that was in that video [is I] really feel for him. [He] shouldn’t have been subjected to violence, shouldn’t have been humiliated by having that video posted online.

“It is a very sick kind of individual that posts pictures or videos with the purpose of humiliating other people."

Asylum seeker accommodation

Meanwhile, in a heated exchange, Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara said there has been consultation with a community in Santry in Dublin for five weeks on proposed accommodation for asylum seekers.

“Why is there consultation for some and not for others? Is it that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must or is there a more palatable reason for the consultation with some communities and not others?” he said.

His remarks come as protesters in Inch, Co Clare have vowed to carry on their blockade where they have mounted barricades across the entrance of a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.

Clare County Council chief executive Pat Dowling told the local residents that the council had no prior knowledge of the arrival of asylum seekers on Monday evening.

Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the information provision timeline was “really tight” due to the “need to house people in light of the fact that we have people on the streets at the moment,” he said.

Mr O’Gorman reiterated that he is happy to engage with residents but said: “I just have to be honest, we need to use this accommodation, the accommodation is suitable.”