'Huge concerns' for safety of councillors amid 'increasingly hostile environment' ahead of local elections
Advocacy group Women for Election said the harassment, intimidation and abuse of female politicians had 'escalated' and was 'increasingly normalised, particularly online'.
The body representing local councillors has “huge concerns” for the safety of its members amid an “increasingly hostile environment” in the run-up to the local elections on June 7.
The warning from the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG), follows a number of incidents, including threats to councillors, some involving knives, and at least one case of an assault on a councillor and her spouse.
The warning comes as:
- Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said he was “very worried” that attacks like the assassination attempt on Slovak prime minister Robert Fico could happen in Ireland and that if “mob rule” was left unchecked, Ireland could be in a situation like Britain, where two MPs have been murdered;
- Taoiseach Simon Harris said the threats against councillors were “despicable” and an “attack on democracy”;
- Tánaiste Micheál Martin said what gardaí feared most in terms of attacks on politicians was, like in Slovakia, a “lone wolf situation”;
- Former Garda commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan said there was a “palpable sense of menace” from a small group and said the “frenzy” on social media could “spill over” into the physical world.
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Advocacy group Women for Election said the harassment, intimidation and abuse of female politicians had “escalated” and was “increasingly normalised, particularly online”.
Councillor Gail Dunne, president of the AILG, said there were “huge concerns” for the safety of councillors ahead of local and European elections next month.
“People are increasingly hostile to public representatives and, if anything, the issue is becoming more widespread,” the Wicklow county councillor said.
He said an AILG survey of members, published last March, found 63% of respondents had experienced threats and intimidation — with 26% currently experiencing them.
The report said threats “continue to escalate to actual incidents”, including stalking-type behaviour”, as well as sexually explicit contacts, physical attacks, protests at councillors’ homes, malicious or dangerous items being received by post and racial abuse.
The latest incidents include a threatening attack on Green Party councillor for Dublin’s north inner city, Janet Horner, in which she claimed a man threatened to kill her as he grabbed her campaign posters on the North Circular Road last week.
On Wednesday, prominent anti-immigration candidate Malachy Steenson claimed on social media a man banged on a door on North Strand, where his nephew was, and shouted he was going to kill him.
Gardaí said the man in question, who appeared to be drunk, was arrested and charged with public order offences and confirmed he did not have a weapon.
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