Anti-immigration candidates have been using increasingly extreme rhetoric in run-up to the vote.
These candidates will seek to capitalise on rising support for the far right across Europe and the record levels of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland.
Two years ago Patrice Johnson, who is running in the local elections for the Irish Freedom Party in Co Louth, posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, stating “Hate speech is just free speech that Jews don’t like!”
In other social media posts, she called Minister for Children and Integration Roderic O’Gorman a “groomer” and called for a former asylum seeker to be knocked out and “buried in the mountains”.
In one online conversation last year, she described a black man as a “trigger” and denied a contention by another poster that she was a “trigger lover”.
The Drogheda woman has also endorsed multiple posts supporting conspiracy theories, homophobia and violence.
The Irish Freedom Party, which was founded in 2018 to campaign for Ireland to leave the EU, is presented by its leader, Hermann Kelly, as a party of the centre right which, he says, “rejects any form of nazism and nuttery”. However, its members have a history of extreme statements.
Behind a paywall so haven't read the article. But you can't stop people saying anything just because you don't like or agree with what they say. Seems to me that it's the Left who actively pursues the banning of free speech in the main.
ReplyDeleteHad a quick google at some of the other things those in question said, never mind the far right stuff half of them are batshit crazy.
Just emailed you the text
DeleteRead it, thanks Anthony. Good to see the " Far right " political groups in Ireland suffer from the exact same affliction as the rest of the mainstream parties; give them a chance and they'll have a split!
DeleteCan you email me the text as well, Anthony?
ReplyDeleteYou should have it now
Delete