Green colleague who posted ‘n-word’ on social media defends Ryan over his ‘careless’ use of slur
A GREEN Party politician who apologised for posting the ‘n-word’ on social media when speaking out against racism has defended Eamon Ryan after he was caught up in a storm over using the slur in the Dáil.
Party cathaoirleach Hazel Chu said Mr Ryan was “100pc not a racist” but, like her, was “insensitive and careless” in using the term.
Mr Ryan was heavily criticised by some members of his own party for the gaffe in the Dáil on Thursday.
The controversy came after he told the Dáil:
“In the newspaper today there was a young Irish man, Sean Gallen, giving his experience of being ‘othered’, from the age of six being given that name: ‘You n ***** ’.”
Mr Ryan later apologised on Twitter: “In quoting from an article I read this morning, I repeated a racial slur, and I was completely wrong to do so. I want to apologise for any hurt caused. I know this particular word should never be used.”
Some supporters of deputy leader Catherine Martin, his opponent in the party leadership race, publicly condemned him, saying it underlined the need for a change of leader.
Mr Ryan was defended by politicians in Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, who rejected any suggestions he is racist.
Ms Chu took to social media to reveal she too previously used the n-word while speaking out about racism.
The Dublin city councillor, whose parents are from HongKong but met in Ireland, has been vocal about her own experiences of racism.
Last year, she posted on Twitter highlighting an incident reported by RTÉ’s ‘Prime Time ’where a taxi driver was “called a n ***** and assaulted”.
In the wake of Mr Ryan’s blunder, she shared the tweet and said: “I 100pc should not have used this word even in the context of quoting someone. I am deeply sorry for doing so. I haven’t deleted the tweet since I believe we need to be able to apologise and stand over our mistakes.”
Ms Chu also set out a string of measures she believes will combat racism including reviewing hate crime laws, addressing exclusion and poverty in the Travelling community and ending the direct provision system.
Last night, she commented on the n-word controversy engulfing Mr Ryan.
“Eamon is 100pc not racist, however he was like me insensitive and careless in using the phrase even in the context of quoting. We can all do better when it comes to combating racism; it is not good enough to be not racist, we need to actively strive to be anti-racist,” she told the Irish Independent.
The racism debate here was sparked amid the international outrage over the death in police custody of unarmed black man George Floyd in the United States.
Last night, Ms Martin also came out to defend Mr Ryan.
“Eamon is a thoroughly decent man who realises he made a mistake.
“He has apologised and will learn from it. I’ve been in touch to offer my support,” she said.
“I hope some good can come out of Eamon’s genuine mistake and we can all have a real and honest conversation amongst ourselves as a diverse nation about people’s lived experiences,” she added. “We have a lot of listening to do.”