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Updated 9.40am
THE ANTI-AUSTERITY Alliance has expelled a councillor who threatened to cut a political activist’s throat.
The Limerick branch of the AAA had asked John Loftus to resign as a Limerick city councillor last night after he sent a threatening Facebook message to local activist Greg Doran last Sunday morning.
The message read:
I tried to be nice. The next time I see you I’lll [sic] cut your fuckin throat. Insult me & you are dead. See you Monday.
Doran subsequently posted the private message to Twitter:
Loftus was requested to resign after the AAA Limerick branch met last night.
Having failed to attend the meeting and to so far accede to the resignation request, the party said this morning that it was immediately removing the councillor’s AAA membership.
In a statement this morning, the AAA Limerick branch described Loftus’ message as a “catastrophic misjudgement” from a public representative and said he is no longer considered a member of the party.
Activists felt that anything less than resignation as a councillor would not really be credible given the strong opposition in the community to threats, intimidation and violence, and would leave a question mark as to whether Cllr. Loftus or the AAA really treated this situation with the seriousness it deserves.
The meeting also felt that the qualified apology which Cllr. Loftus offered in the media yesterday demonstrated that he has indeed failed to register the seriousness of the situation. There is no context that justifies the threats he made.
Loftus could not be reached for comment this morning.
Despite being expelled from the AAA he is under no obligation to resign his council seat and can serve as an independent for the remainder of his term.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday, he expressed confidence he would not be thrown out of the AAA:
I doubt if I’ll be thrown out of the party. I’ve been here from the start.
Local councillor Cian Prendiville had said last night that if Loftus refused to resign he would no longer be considered a member of the AAA.
The threatening message was prompted by a row between Doran and Loftus over party funding.
Loftus described sending the message as a “moment of madness” and apologised yesterday, insisting he would “never hurt anybody in my life”.
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Is not common sense that kiddies playgrounds should be a smoker free zone…..obviously not!
The Minister is so totally correct in this regard and I fully support him. Children should not be allowed to smoke in their playgrounds and should be encouraged to confine such activities to their homes. Well done Minister. I now know why we pay you such a high salary.
I would have done it for a quarter of the price !
I’m a smoker and normally I would be screaming civil liberties and smoke being dissipated in the air …but the minister has pinged it here I think …..
It helps me avoid the odd cigarette if I feel I will be upsetting anyone ….
I try not to smoke in front of my kids, but I remember when I was a kid I was totally anti-smoking and now ????
Ah the genius of the mind of a child – go an soleir ar fad !
I think he should be more worried about obesity………
Can’t he be worried about both?
Oh know someone I dont like made a good point…… call him fat
I totally agree too. We should also be getting rid of smokers outside the doors of shopping centres etc, it’s dreadful to have to walk out through clouds of smoke. Perhaps a crackdown on smoking in cars as well?
Listening to likes of you moan is dreadful too but we leave you to it. What difference does people smoking in their cars make to you? Sanctimonious fool trying to inflict your values on society – that’s an attitude that’s never worked out badly for Ireland in the past eh? How about worrying about yourself and leave others to do likewise, live and let live if you will.
Those that mean I can fart in your car with you in it ?
Smokers generally have 1 hand being used to hold the cigarette instead of being on the wheel. Now I know that people drinking/etc in car are doing same, but at least you can pop a cup down in cup holder, not same for cigarette.
Also, you don’t often see people throw their rubbish out the window when finished with their drink, whereas the amount of cigarettes being thrown out the window is close to 100% of cigarettes smoked in a car.
No one should be selfish enough to smoke around children anyway. Even if they are not breathing second hand smoke, it’s a filthy disgusting habit and it’s setting a bad example. Monkey see, monkey do…..
I’m really sick of this nanny state crap….however, if we go to the full extent let’s try these examples:
1. Ban under 18s from all fast food outlets
2. Every household turns off wi-fi after 6pm to stop kids becoming addicted to their smart phones / snap chat / Internet etc.
3. Everyone under 16 to observe curfew from 10.30 PM to 6.30 am
4.No hoodies allowed during hours of 6.30am – 10.30pm
Jayus …enough of this my brain hurts and breaking curfew.
And it will only get worse. Nanny state bullshit is getting out of control. We are not trusted to use our brains any more.
If you choose to smoke in a playground, then they are correct in thinking that you “cannot be trusted to use you brain” because you are proving that you are not using it.
Except the smoking issue is one where others have to put up with your smoking, it’s not something you’re doing just for yourself.
Also, the amount of litter caused by smokers is unreal, so the less chance of litter and smoke around playgrounds the better.
They should never have let Reilly bring the tobacco policy file with him when he left health. Now look what’s happened. Next thing he’ll ban bike sheds in schools in case children smoke behind them. I dispair, I really do.
You forget that some parents are so intellectually challenged that the only way to protect their own children is to make laws to prevent parents subjecting their own children to inhaled carcinogens. I’m sure you would not do such a thing but many do.
More bull-ology. So, our new non-smoking playgrounds are going to be policed by?
Well, the non-smoking pub thing worked and that’s largely self policed.
It should not be an incentive ,” is the playground non smoking ? No ? Well then you are not getting any funding ! ” . it should be banned from all playgrounds , full stop .
Is this irrelevant rubbish or has the minister spotted children with cigars and cigarettes on roundabouts and slides? Things are very tame in Galway. On the other hand, many of our underage citizens are not above swigging from a bottle of Buckfast in our local plonkgrounds.
Just a hunch there Phil, but I’m pretty sure he was talking about the adults supervising the kids
The man failed in his last position I don’t expect a different result in this new position.
Totally ridiculous.The paranoia about cigarettes smoked outdoors .
I wonder dose that also include those electronic chemical cigarettes….
They should ban hoodies. And if people who wear hoodies smoke near playgrounds they should get 2 fines and community service. If the person wearing a hoodie and smoking while driving beside a playground he should getv3 fines and community service. If the person with the hoodie and smoking while drinking a can of beer while in a car beside a playground — more Gardai needed.
Banning smoking in a car while in the presence of others would be more useful because the concentration of smoke in such a tiny space can do real damage. Banning smoking in public places is to set a positive example for people not to smoke; the smoke is dissipated and does no health damage. In a confined space like a car banning of smoking has the dual purpose of setting a positive example and removing a dangerous situation. If a smoker simply place a large box over the head and then smoked he/she would quickly experience the discomfort and unhealthy side effects of secondary smoke inhalation.
Funny thing about cars ..They have these glass things on the side of them called Windows! If you open one or two when travelling at speed,it actually creates a massive amount of air to come in and out and that air actually will remove smells,cig smoke and light things not bolted down.I would assume that would be able to save any childrens delicate lungs?
Funny thing also John that the said windows will in all probability be closed during Ireland’s cold weather. The air will then be filtered into the car thus blowing the smoke into the faces of the occupants. How about better safe than sorry! Prevention being better than cure!
Oh dear… It seems to me, that with this minister, the children will be lost in a haze of smoke.
On the lowest of the low would smoke in front of their children. Absolute child abuse.
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