Donohoe: How we talk about politicians is part of antidote to gallows protest

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has said discourse that is sometimes hateful can be spread in “the darker recesses of the social media world”.

The Dublin Central TD was speaking in relation to widely criticised demonstrations outside Leinster House as the Dail resumed after the summer recess on Wednesday.

The scenes outside the Irish parliamentary building, including a mock gallows that had pictures of senior government figures attached to it, have prompted a review of security measures.

Mr Donohoe said there had been urgency in dealing with social media companies on what is posted online and said they would “continue to engage social media companies on this issue”.

“But, beyond that, I think an awareness of how we all talk about politics, and how we all discuss the role of politicians, is part of the antidote that is needed to the kind of behaviour that we saw yesterday,” he said.

Mr Donohoe criticised the protests as “appalling” and appealed to people who are interested in becoming involved in politics not to be deterred by Wednesday’s protests, describing them as “rare”.

He also said he had, in recent months, approved changes to Oireachtas allowances so that politicians can make necessary changes to their constituency offices.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships on Thursday, Mr Donohoe said Ireland is a “very, very long way away” from seeing developments similar to the storming of the US Capitol last year.

He told reporters: “We have a very healthy democracy and we also have a very healthy middle ground in Irish politics that I believe will act as insulation against those kinds of dark developments.

“But, at the same time, none of us can be complacent.

“Ultimately, what we saw yesterday was an attempt to intimidate the opening day of the Dail, and we can’t accept that.”

Mr Donohoe said that changes had been made to security measures at Leinster House, including new equipment and entry points, but that gardai and Oireachtas authorities would review whether further steps were needed.

“Only in recent months I approved a change in the Oireachtas allowance system to allow and to support politicians and changes they need to make, particularly in their constituency offices, to put in place the security changes that are needed, so those steps have been taken,” he said.

“But we are dealing with a very disturbing further development of that intimidation, and that happened yesterday.

“I’m here with all of my political colleagues, we are walking around a massive assembly of Irish life, and we are getting great engagement from everybody here, and a vast sense of appreciation and recognition of the efforts that politicians do make, and that has been emphasised to me again here today.

“None of us are going to let the intimidation that we saw yesterday get in the way of the public representation that we are committed to, and the overwhelming majority of Irish people want us to do.”