Chairman leads tributes to murdered Labour MP Jo Cox

A minute’s silence was observed at Monday’s AGM of Louth county council as a tribute to Jo Cox, the MP murdered last week.

In offering condolences to her family, chairman Cllr Paul Bell said she was savagely gunned down for no other reason than being a public representative.

He added it was an attack on society, an attack on democracy.

Cllr Mark Dearey, chairman of Dundalk municipal district, said it is no coincidence the killing occurred at a time when discourse in quite ugly.

He has written to the Labour party in Britain to express shock, sadness and solidarity.

Cllr John McGahon remarked he has been struck by the language and attitudes towards politicians.

‘Words and language are important, and can have a strong and unpredictable effect on people. We have a responsibility to be kinder to each other.’

Cllr Kevin Callan said the killing of Ms Cox shows that public representatives have no choice but to be in the public domain.

‘It is part and parcel of what we do, and often involves meeting people we don’t even know.’

He recalled being pursued from a council meeting in Drogheda to a hotel, and the guards having to get involved.

Cllr Maria Doyle said democracy shouldn’t be taken for granted, and Cllr Liam Reilly commented that the gun has been brought more and more into society.

Respect for an alternative opinion seems to have been eroded, said Cllr Colm Markey.

Those opinions have been met with such anger and violence, that we can’t go forward as a society, he continued.

Cllr Tomas Sharkey said that before becoming an MP, Jo Cox had been in Darfur and Afghanistan, and worked for Oxfam, and he likened her to other heroes of human rights.

Cllr Richie Culhane said the family of Senator Billy Fox, murdered in Monaghan in 1974, should be remembered at this time