Violence against politicians has to stop, says Offaly TD

Offaly TD Tony McCormack has said violence against politicians must stop following the assault on Michael Healy-Rae TD on Wednesday.

Deputy Healy-Rae required stitches following the incident. Deputy McCormack said that while his injuries were thankfully not more serious, the attack could not simply be brushed aside.

“Michael thankfully wasn't seriously injured and I wish him well, but a politician was physically attacked and that is completely unacceptable,” he said.

“People have every right to disagree with politicians. Criticise us, challenge us, protest against decisions we make and vote how you want. That comes with the job.

“But nobody should ever believe that putting your name on a ballot paper means putting a target on your back.”

Deputy McCormack said a clear line must be drawn when political disagreement turns into intimidation or violence.

“There has always been strong disagreement in politics and there always will be. That's democracy. But physical violence is something entirely different and we cannot allow it to become normalised.

“Thankfully, Michael needed stitches and nothing more serious. But we cannot keep going down this road and simply assume that the next incident won't be more serious.”

He also raised concerns about increasingly aggressive language on social media and the potential impact of constantly fuelling anger online.

“People get wound up online and others egg them on. The language gets stronger and more personal. When that happens day after day, we cannot pretend that it has no consequences in the real world.

“I am not suggesting social media had anything to do with what happened to Michael. We don't know that, and the circumstances of this particular incident are a matter for An Garda Síochána. But we would be foolish to ignore the wider atmosphere.”

Deputy McCormack said robust political debate remained an important part of democracy, but warned that violence could not be allowed to become part of political discourse.

“We don't need less political debate in this country. We need people to challenge politicians and hold us to account. But there is a clear difference between disagreement and intimidation, and violence crosses every line.

“We need to take this seriously now, rather than waiting until somebody is seriously hurt. Violence against someone because you disagree with them is never acceptable, whether they are a politician or anybody else.”