Limerick TD puts most of the blame on European politicians for allowing 'fake news' online

'European politicians, I think, are to the fore, in the blame here. They have accepted it, thrown their hands up in the air, 'there's nothing we can do'. There absolutely is something that can be done," Patrick O'Donovan said

Patrick O'Donovan: 'We elect members of the European Parliament to do a variety of different things — and I wonder sometimes what they do.' File picture: Jim Coughlan

European politicians are largely to blame for 'fake news' being permitted to be published online without consequence, Higher Education Minister Patrick O'Donovan has said.

The Limerick TD said legislators in the EU have "thrown their hands in the air" and resigned themselves to not addressing misinformation and disinformation that has been published on online platforms.