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TDS EAMON RYAN and Michael Healy-Rae have condemned the personalised online abuse they received during the recent election campaign.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who announced that he would be stepping down as leader of the party earlier today, said that his party has been the subject of “a relentless attack, particularly on social media.”
He said that the party appeared to be subject to coordinated attacks in the comments section on any posts made.
“I decided to ignore the worst comments, even when it included vile statements about my own recently deceased father [when he died] some five years ago,” he said, adding that the abuse has only increased, particularly in the last year.
On Radio Kerry this morning, Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae appealed for an end to “the politics of horribleness” after he and female members of his family were subjected to “outrageous” social media attacks in the run up to the local elections.
Healy-Rae described how a video of his his mother, who died in 2015, that was posted to TikTok was particularly hurtful to his family.
The Independent TD said he discovered the online post after coming home from canvassing one evening.
The TikTok post included an image of his late mother, Julie Healy-Rae, and a picture of his sister and his wife.
In the image, his mother was frail and with a walking stick and the post had ‘‘all these dirty things underneath,” Healy-Rae said.
“It’s bullying, it’s intimidating, it’s nastiness. It’s taking Kerry politics into the gutter.”
“When I see it coming into Kerry, this is what hurts me,” Healy-Rae told Jerry O’Sullivan on Radio Kerry.
He added: “Where are we going to finish up. Will we finish up shooting each other again?
“Call it out for what it is – the politics of horribleness, the politics of hatred, and of nastiness. Give it up and live a proper life and that’s the message I give to people today.”
Healy-Rae earlier wished Ryan luck on X, saying that “public life isn’t always easy”, but he respected Ryan.
While @EamonRyan and I differ massively on policies and ideology, I wish him and his family nothing but the best of good luck, health and happiness in his retirement.
— Michael Healy-Rae (@MHealyRae) June 18, 2024
Public life isn’t always easy but he always stuck to his guns and I respect that in a person.
With additional reporting by Emma Hickey.
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Social media companies must stop abusive comments on line where the person posting them is not identified
@RIP: Everyone that makes a comment here on the Journal should have their identity verified.
@David Murray: lol !!
Oh I wonder why these two representatives in particular? Hmm
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Look at what people are saying about Holly Cairn’s pregnancy. Abuse on social media is rife.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: they’re opinions and nonsense as they may be , you can’t prevent anyone from calling out their opinion. People’s own moral compass let’s them know what’s nonsense and what’s not. No room for threats, bullying or intimidation of representatives or their families, that’s just wrong but how ots tackled is where everyone struggles to agree.
@Jimmy Wallace: it’s commonplace. Not sure about widespread. Healy Rae (Michael) is just using it in my opinion to distract attention away from ‘the new’ Jackie HR who had no business running for local election as someone convicted of a serious assault
@Jimmy Wallace: how is he not distracting from the assault from day 1 of promoting JHR for the locals though?’ they have absolutely no remorse, real humanity or decency at all clearly because knowing how serious it was, they barely drew breath before lodging an appeal. I take your point, but I don’t feel sorry about the content people write about those particular lads because in my view you’d have to be on drugs to believe they ever did anything that wasn’t inherently selfish first.
@Jimmy Wallace: Like the lad outside a Chipper in his local town !
@Jimmy Wallace: by the way that’s the problem right there, what you wrote first it shows you would still attack people’s opinions if we had an even dirtier press that reported on these important minor details that aren’t minor such as a yolk running for councillor having been convicted of a serious unprovoked assault
Or in cases like how many ppl did not know the facts about Regina Dohertys ministerial years (ugly years) because of relative bias in the press here. You are part of the problem if you attack people after the fact.
As someone who has nothing but contempt for ffg and find the cronyism of the healy rays nauseating, I respect the fact that they where voted into their positions by a fair democracy
@Robert Halvey: That’s sarcasm…right…tell me it is!
@Robert Halvey: how many people were bribed, manipulated or lied into voting for FFG or ‘independents’ like the Healy raes.. perfect case in point you had a leader in Michael Martin who had lost 3 gen elections and has enough contempt for our democracy that in order just to maximise his ability to become a Taoiseach by just refusing to go away, he openly lied that they would not go straight into a deal with FG and if people don’t get the wake up call from that, more nationalist councillors and probably TDs are on the horizon because unfortunately many people have absolutely been beyond demoralised & will take any opportunity to break up the Tory stranglehold.
@S Suilleabhain: And yet the recent elections have proven you to be way off the mark.
If FFG were to replicate the results of the last election and even if they lost 5% of their vote they would be elected and create a Government.
People had an opportunity to vote and they chose the Government parties and no amount of historical claptrap is going to change that.
You’ve been wrong before and you will be wrong again. There is no plausible alternative to FFG, and that’s nobody’s fault except SF and the left parties.
@S Suilleabhain: you’re probably one of the many who have the Irish flag wrapped around you and shout anti immigrant bile and on election day decided to stay home, the nationalists you speak of including the national party and the Irish freedom party didn’t even get a 1% of the vote. The Irish are good at one thing aren’t they.
@Alan: yeah you’ve got me wrong on every single point you tried to make there. All of em.
They are in their jobs by their own volition and are paid big bobs to boot. If they can’t stand the heat then leave the kitchen!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: So you think it’s OK to abuse people with pictures of family members either alive or dead. People like you are the problem, nobody deserves any type of abuse especially the stuff posted about family.
If someone can only oppose a political figure with name calling or other abuse it’s clear that the person is mentally challenged and probably of low IQ , you understand that as you engage in it often enough.
@Paul O’Mahoney: At no stage did I ever mention or condone the abuse on family or the production of pictures. In my honest opinion politicians families should not be brought into any echelons of politics.
My posts are from the heart and head and are aimed at the inept government that we are beset with. It is my democratic right to say what I think and that does not and never will include families. It is not in my makeup!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: you indulge in plenty of infantile name calling. If you have a valid criticism of anyone trying to do it without the name calling or with facts to back up your view.
Additionally, your post above seems to condone the practice of what was described in the story and the story includes instances where family members were used.
I didn’t type your post you did and surely you have the capacity to understand what you type. Or do you?
@Paul O’Mahoney: that’s pretty funny coming from someone who writes as you do
Where do you get off
@Paul O’Mahoney: I think your comprehension and deciphering of posts is slightly out of kilter. At no stage have I intimated or condoned the practice, as you have stated. I would if I were you, sit back and look into your own purile responses. It’s a free democratic country!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Yes it is and we should use that to express our opinions in a polite way as possible.
Your post said something like if they can’t handle the online abuse they should get out of the kitchen, to any reasonable person that implies that the abuse was acceptable and it also implied that they were weak for talking about it.
If I’m wrong why Don’t you say what your post was meant to mean.
@S Suilleabhain: What’s the matter petal are you still hurting from the electorate dismissing your ranting?
@Paul O’Mahoney: I think your comprehension of the written word is on vacation! I never mentioned online abuse….. You did!!…….. Apology accept, I rest my case!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: *accepted
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Your like a political hack , if you don’t understand how online comments work, that’s fine, I’m not surprised. And there is no apology from me to accept. It’s clear from your post that you feel that politicians are fair game for abuse of any description no matter how vile it is.
Stay classy
@Paul O’Mahoney: moron
@Paul O’Mahoney: You are the vile one not me. I am the classy one. To the educated person my posts make clear sense to you they do different! Go figure it out!
If you have a problem interpreting my messages the option is there to mute me….. what’s stopping you??
Twitter / X has been the worst since Elon Musk took over and handed out Blue Ticks to every degenerate on 4Chan. It no doubt had an impact on the election as fake videos, social media posts etc. were amplified by accounts that had been banned before he took over, some of which Musk boosts through interacting with them.
@Exhausted Jim: The left / far-left never did control it, and they certainly didn’t use it to incite murder of tourists and the burning of buildings.
Bye bye Emmon u be no lose bring I. Young blood I’d vote for them
@mark duggan: WHAT?
Those nameless individuals on irresponsible social media platforms are absolute cowards. They can freely abuse and threaten politicians and others, knowing they will never be exposed. They haven’t got the courage to confront politicians and make a cogent argument about why they disagree with their policies and beliefs.
@James Hanley: we saw Simon do a runner when he was confronted in Mayo.
@James Hanley: Well said
@max power: So that’s how you think confronting politicians should be done?
You too are part of the problem.
@Exhausted Jim: hope you are including yourself in there,you must be exhausted Jim from typing on here so much from your multiple accounts
You can always walk away from it Healy Rae,god knows you have more money made from the state than you would spend in a couple of lifetimes
Political class in Ireland had decades of getting away with shafting working Irish people, they are still at it. They call criticism of their failures, social media abuse, as they don’t like being exposed. Our media no longer challenge them, as they are either funded by certain parties or are hoping for some PR/ Media gig, as we saw recently with Irish Examiner journalist. Ryan & his party failed Irish working people, they deserve their criticism. The Healy Rae’s are the biggest bluffers in Ireland, Michael shouting about Ukrainian’s whilst milking hundreds of thousands from the State, housing them, Hypocrite. At least none of us criticizing Michael, didn’t seriously assault someone visiting the county, shouting how this was their town. Prize Sleveen Clown with his Clown hat.
Sorry, but is this not the very same Healy Rea who jeered n belittled Eamonn Ryan on social media when one of the siblings kids won a kerry co co seat …. that’s about as 2 faced as you cud get
The social media companies won’t/can’t stop it so they’ll have to toughen up and get used to it.
Clearly external forces, who have a vested interest in a divided electorate, are either paying right wing idiots like Pepper and Blighe, or are funding the likes of Tommy Robinson who in turn are heroes to weak minded people like them and their followers.
He has destroyed kerrys tourism and
Uniqueness all for a bit more money.
Poor me shit
Where are the statistics for voting in the local elections how many non Irish natives voted & who ferried them to the election booths. Was there ballot boxes in detention centers
Absolute comedy gold ! I suppose Healy Rae was thinking about young Kerry teens and so on when he condemned same sex marriage. Did he wonder what sort of a message it sends out for his son to be promoted as another in a long line of Healy Rae following his unprovoked assault on a tourist ?! Hypocrite
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