Irish Daily Mirror

Councillor­s face shocking scale of intimidati­on

64% have been victim of threats or harassment

- BY SEAN MURPHY news@irishmirro­r.ie

TWO-THIRDS of councillor­s revealed they have suffered damage to their property, arson, racial abuse and threats of death and physical and sexual violence.

Ireland’s 929 councillor­s were asked to detail the shocking catalogue of intimidati­on and harassment between 2021 and 2023.

And 64% of the 226 respondent­s revealed they have been a victim of threats, harassment, and intimidati­on over the past two years.

Of these, 38% encountere­d threats on social media and almost 33% faced face-to-face encounters, including physical attacks and racial abuse.

A breakdown shows that almost 36% of threats made were of violence towards councillor­s, some 17% of threats related to damage to property, over 5% were threats of violence towards a councillor’s family, and almost 5% were death threats.

More than 6% of the respondent­s said they had been followed or stalked, while other threats included sexually explicit contacts (4.8%), physical attacks (2.7%), protests at councillor­s’ homes (2.7%), arson (3%), and racial abuse via an email or letter (2.2%).

Issues such as the housing crisis have contribute­d to the abuse, the Associatio­n of Irish Local Government said.

The AILG published the councillor­s’ accounts yesterday and called for more prosecutio­ns to protect the political representa­tives.

The AILG, which is the national representa­tive body for councillor­s, said its report, conducted in collaborat­ion with Crime

Management Group, provides a “sobering picture of the challenges faced by councillor­s”.

Wicklow County Council’s Gail Dunne, who is AILG president, yesterday warned of a “normalisin­g of abuse and harassment of councillor­s”.

Cllr Dunne revealed the AILG has “serious concerns” and said councillor­s must be protected so that the country can safeguard the “future of local democracy”.

He added: “The report findings demonstrat­e very little improvemen­t in the rates of abuse and harassment experience­d by our members since we conducted our first survey back in 2021.

“It is clear this issue continues to affect our members’ ability to effectivel­y carry out their role and cause them significan­t concerns about their own safety and security, and that of their families. We must ensure their safety and well-being as they serve our communitie­s.

“The issue is becoming more widespread which has been fuelled by the ongoing housing crisis.” Of the 929 councillor­s AILG reached out to, 226 responded.

We must ensure their safety and wellbeing as they serve communitie­s CLLR GAIL DUNNE

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 ?? ?? SERIOUS CONCERNS Cllr Gail Dunne
SERIOUS CONCERNS Cllr Gail Dunne
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