Casey is branded lazy and racist.. rivals round on candidate over travellers remarks
PRESIDENTIAL candidate Peter Casey has been accused of “lazy, racist stereotyping” after he claimed Travellers should not be considered an ethnic minority.
The former Dragons’ Den star said the Government’s decision to grant the status was “a load of nonsense”.
He also questioned whether those from a Traveller background pay their “fair share of taxes”.
And it emerged that Mr Casey is to visit a housing estate at the centre of a dispute with the Traveller community today.
They have refused to move from a nearby site into houses on the €1.7m Cabra Bridge development in Thurles, Co Tipperary, until accommodation is made for their horses.
Travellers were formally recognised as a distinct ethnic group by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny at a ceremony in Leinster House last year.
Mr Casey told Independent.ie: “I don’t believe Travellers should be given special status, why should they be given status over and above yourself or myself? That’s a load of nonsense. They are not from Romany or whatever.
“They’re basically people camping on someone else’s land. I think somebody needs to sit up and say, ‘This is nonsense’.
“They get education, they get support and they’re not paying their fair share of taxes. They live, by and large it’s acknowledged, outside of society, that’s why they get their status. But do they put in their tax returns? Do they pay their taxes? Obviously they have to pay VAT when they buy stuff but I think it’s just wrong.”
Meanwhile, presidential hopefuls slammed Mr Casey’s remarks, with Sinn Fein’s Liadh Ni Riada saying the comments were “unacceptable”.
She said in a statement: “The Travelling community are an integral and historic element of the Irish nation who have faced discrimination and marginalisation at the hands of the State and local authorities for many decades.
“For anyone seeking public office, let alone that of the nation’s first citizen, to engage in lazy, racist stereotyping of any ethnic group is unacceptable.”
Gavin Duffy criticised the “reckless and inflammatory” remarks. Independent candidate Joan Freeman said: “Comments like these from are hugely disrespectful, hurtful and frankly show how out of touch he is with this country.”
Frankly, it shows how out of touch he is with this country JOAN FREEMAN ON Mr Casey’s remarks