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CHILDREN’S MINISTER RODERIC O’Gorman has said he fully accepts an apology made to him by actor and Traveller activist John Connors.
O’Gorman said he considers the matter “fully resolved” after Connors published a lengthy apology last night in which he said he regretted siding with “the very people whose politics I most despise”.
The affair came about after an online campaign was launched in the past couple of weeks seeking to have the Green Party minister resign because of a photograph of him at a Pride march in 2018.
O’Gorman was photographed with LGBT rights campaigner and former UK election candidate Peter Tatchell. Tatchell has been a prominent activist since the 1970s but has been forced to defend comments he made in 1997 in which he spoke about sex between adults and children.
The online campaign to seek O’Gorman’s resignation was based on the photograph of the two at the public march, an encounter O’Gorman says was their only meeting.
O’Gorman previously said that the campaign against him was “rooted in homophobia, and stoked by anonymous, far-right Twitter accounts”.
Connors had been a vocal supporter of the campaign and he subsequently spoke at a rally that was held outside the Dáil two weekends ago.
That protest was organised by a number of groups with Renua, The Irish Freedom Party and the far right National Party in attendance.
Pictures of the protest featured members of The National Party holding a banner which featured a noose. The party said its protest was about having a death penalty for certain crimes.
In his public apology last night, Connors said remarks he made about O’Gorman and his participation in the “online frenzy” were “wrong and unfair on every level”.
“I allowed myself to lead and be part of an online frenzy that cast hurtful and false assertions on his character and pursued him in the most unfair way. I am so sorry for any hurt I caused Minister O’Gorman and I have sent him a letter offering him my sincere apologies,” Connors said.
The actor said there is “no justification” for his actions but added that he has dealt with “a number of tragedies” in the last few years.
“I have recently found myself unravelling. This is in no way to excuse what I said and how I behaved. Looking back I’m sick to my stomach,” Connors said.
He added:
What is difficult for me to accept is that my own misguided anger led me to appear to feed an army of trolls and support groups whose views I find repugnant, whose politics are rotten and whose methods are ugly. What isn’t said becomes a symptom and in not dealing with my emotional problems I went into a dark hole and lost myself and now I find myself in a position where l seemed to have sided with the very people whose politics I most despise. I have been politically naive. I did not fully inform myself of their views and l am truly horrified that I have in any way have enabled them.
“I’ve battled bigotry my whole life and my deranged pursuit of Minister O’Gorman played a huge part in the homophobic backlash he received by the very bigots I despise,” he said.
Accepting Connors’ apology today, O’Gorman urged the actor to take care of himself.
“I very much appreciate the statement and email from John Connors. The matter between us is fully resolved as far as I’m concerned. Take care of yourself John,” the minister wrote on Twitter.
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Fair play to him for being smart enough to learn he was wrong and do the right thing. You wouldn’t get that sort of response from many politicians these days.
@Wade Wilson: smart enough when he was reminded he has a film coming out and hanging out with lads carrying noose posters wasn’t a good look. I
@Wade Wilson: what he did was disgusting and it is the politician who deserves the praise here. How can praise someone who did this and also call them “smart enough” given the idiocy of their original act?
If there was ever a more clear indication that you’re on the wrong side than protesting alongside Renua, The Irish Freedom Party and the National Party, I’ve yet to hear it.
He is a grown man saying he was influenced by others, didn’t seem like that when I saw his speech online! Although I haven’t seen anything he said regarding the lgbtqi+ community?
It’s about money, I’d say his agent told him that no director/agent/tv company will work with him again, he is not that good an actor or that famous that he is rolling in money or can do as he likes. He has pi€sed some people off he didn’t intend to!
Connors has opinions on everything except issues he can solve or possibly influence himself. Nothing more than a mouth piece at this stage and has lost an credibility he may have had. Mental illness as an excuse just doesn’t wash in this case, as the abuse the GAY minister got was horrendous and not one sheard of proof put forward.
So was he talking shyte then or is he talking shyte now. I’ve known grief, it didn’t turn me into a fascist. Oh, and he has a new film project coming out this week. No I’m not kidding.
Politically naive sure sounds like the watered down, politician friendly way of saying gobs*ite
@Jake Kelly: Surprised he didn’t throw in ‘human frailty’
@Jake Kelly: if he was hoodwinked by the angry boychild Justin Barrett then he is politically naive as well as generally nieve.
@iDarragh: hoodwinked by a man that honestly believes doctors should should receive the death penalty*. Barrett is a vile excuse for a human being.
*Yes he did say doctors should receive the death penalty
https://youtu.be/S4Pk1d0ob1w?t=565
He was naive in general, politcs don’t really come into it.
A quick look at even the websites and twitter accounts belong to Renua, The Irish Freedom Party and the National Party shows they are a bunch of hate mongers.
They all need to be starved of oxygen by the media, they do nothing good for Ireland.
@Barry: Neither do the wasters in the dail or its propaganda machine RTE.
@Francis Sally: you have not one ounce of public service in you. No idea at all.
Politically naive sounds like a term that could be used for a lot of people who’re always making noise
His militant campaign along with Tan Torino was pretty disgraceful, but it’s good to see him actually apologise. Whether his intent is genuine or to just try save his career, who knows.
Hope all the keyboard warriors on social media will be as quick to post this ?
I think not
Wild
have your say