Sectarian abuse of Heather Humphreys during Áras campaign a 'wake-up' call, Tánaiste says

Simon Harris said Heather Humphreys faced online abuse because she was a Presbyterian. Picture: Fergal Phillips 

Sectarian abuse levelled at Heather Humphreys during the presidential election campaign should be a “wake-up call for our country”, and shows the level of work required to unite Ireland, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.

The Fine Gael leader has also defended a controversial attack video published by his party during the campaign, which criticised Catherine Connolly’s work as a barrister for banks during repossession cases.

Ms Humphreys became Fine Gael’s presidential election candidate when Mairead McGuinness withdrew from the race due to illness.

During the campaign, Fine Gael was criticised for “attack videos” targeting Ms Connolly's professional work as a barrister, suggesting she sided with banks instead of people facing eviction.

When asked if he regretted this strategy, which ultimately failed to stop Catherine Connolly from winning the election, Mr Harris simply said Ms Connolly had his “full support as president”.

However, he highlighted that Ms Humphreys faced online abuse because she was a Presbyterian, something he argued was not as widely discussed.

“Objectively, it [the Fine Gael video] was an ad that focused on politics and policy, and I don't think it was overly personal [about Ms Connolly],” Mr Harris said.

“Something that wasn't commented on at all really — and being honest, I only realised how bad it was after the campaign — was some of the online abuse and attacks towards Heather. That did not come from President Connolly. I’m not suggesting it did at all.

“But it's interesting. One video was put out very upfront as, ‘This is a video from Fine Gael talking about a policy issue and a political issue’, versus many, many videos put up, often with no real ownership, that were sectarian in nature. I think that was maybe more profound in the campaign.”

Mr Harris said he would like to see a united Ireland, but the sectarian abuse levelled at Ms Humphreys “shows all of us how much work there is to be done”.

“The orange isn't in the flag because we were looking for a third colour,” he said.

“The orange is in the flag, with the white in the middle, because it represents our distinct history and our heritage.

“If we're to unite Ireland, we have to recognise that there are people on the island of Ireland, people who identify as Irish, people who identify as British, people who identify as both.

“I thought the sectarian element and the level of it, actually, is a wake-up call for our country in terms of the work required.

“It's easy to say, you want to unite Ireland. It’s a hell of a lot of work you've to do to make it happen.”