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A FIANNA FÁIL local election candidate in Limerick has insisted he did not intend to be racist despite being reported to have accused the Chinese community of fishing for duck in a local lake to then sell in their restaurants.
Joe Crowley, a Fianna Fáil Local Area Representative in the north of Limerick city, was quoted in the Limerick Leader today accusing three Chinese men with fishing rods of snaring duck from the Westfields Wetlands.
“To my mind, fishing from this platform [by the lake] can only spell one thing: these guys are out to get ducks,” he told the paper. He was then asked what for, and said: “Crispy Duck in the Chinese restaurant tonight.”
However when contacted this evening by TheJournal.ie, Crowley insisted it was not his intention to say what he is quoted as saying.
He acknowledged the piece in the Leader did not reflect well on him: “Reading it it looks bad, compared to what was the intention and also the actual remarks made.
“I am a Local Area Representative, I have friends in all walks of life between Europeans, Asians and Africans,” he insisted.
When pressed on whether he did accuse Chinese people of fishing in the lake for duck to serve at their restaurants, he said: “I can’t say or not say, it was all done on the phone. I don’t know. Was I led to say something that I said, I don’t know.”
Crowley said that he rang the journalist who wrote the story, Nick Rabbits, and asked him about the quotes attributed to him. “I rang the journalist and I asked did I make any racist comment and he said, ‘No, you didn’t.’”
This evening he has been condemned by the European Network Against Racism in Ireland with director Shane O’Curry calling on Micheál Martin to expel him from the party, describing Crowley’s comments as “completely baseless”.
“Remarks like these have no place in Irish political life, and run counter to the anti-racism Election Protocol to which Fianna Fáil has signed up. Does Fianna Fail really want to have its name increasingly associated with racism?” O’Curry said.
Crowley told this website he was seeking the highlight the issue of people fishing at the lake and his concerns that this could effect livestock based there.
“To see someone fishing from there with swans and cygnets being born is galling to me,” he said, adding that he put the first duck in the lake in 1973 with about 40 ducks there now.
He said he “would love to have dialogue” with any groups accusing him of being racist, adding: “If I am in anyway accused of being racist, which I am not, I apologise profusely. People here know I am certainly not racist.”
A Fianna Fáil spokesperson declined to comment when contacted this evening.
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My solder balls haven’t given me any issues so far, but if they do. . I shall bring them into the doctor for a gander.
Hilarious.
This issue is old, not new, why is the journal reporting this, the iPhone 6 and 6 plus released 2 years ago. The touch issue first came up not long after that. Hardware and software problems with all technology, not sure why the journal seems to overly report on issues with apple products.
bit too defensive of Chinese made iPhone
The trick is not to be a sheep and use a product that doesnt have an apple logo.
Yes Gavin because non-Apple products never have problems? Unfortunately with the rapidity of modem product development and production cycles problems like this will arise from time to time no matter what the product or the supplier. As long as the manufacturer is reasonable and replaces the faulty product it isn’t a big deal.
Meh the trick is to buy electronics as cheaply as possible as it’s all made in sweatshops in China.
Or don’t have it in your back pocket.
my Sammy S5 has been in and out of pockets so many times without any problems…dont get an iphone..simple
@Gavin: Indeed
Solution: Buy a HTC.
Triied that. It broke in less than two months.
Broke,how? You buying the cheap models?
Hopefully Apple will go back to the glass and carbon fibre in the 5,5s been holding off upgrading as the six is no where near the same quality.
Carbon fibre?
Don’t touch one, with a bargepole.
stop or you will wake the isheep
My phone’s better than your phone.
Grow up.
But, my phone actually is better than your phone. Really.
Yep… I have been that Soldier… I’m just after getting my 4th iPhone 6+ over the last 10 weeks. The first one had this problem when within warranty and the 2 replacements developed the same problem (one within 3 weeks and one as soon as I turned the phone on). I was back and forth to Three with these replacements (turns out you don’t get new phones but refurbished ones).
Anyhow after 3 replacement phones and 8 weeks without a phone, I gave up on Three and went straight to Apple who have me a new phone (after a lot of back and forth).
Turns out this is an issue with the 6plus but not with 6S.
iPhones are useless. All upgraded models are just cosmetic now.
iPhones are not useless as my 6plus and iPhone 4 still work perfectly,And I have Andriod devices aswell.all depends on the users needs,and capabilities.
Ok Ken – But they are way over-hyped & over-priced.
The iShit strikes again.
Wouldn’t you be sickened after spending all that money
You’d be diseased
I have never had this issue with my iPhone 6plus(9.3.3)64gb wounded does it happen only on 16gb?
You wish the only difference is memory size everything else is the same
Have my 5s over 2 years ago & yes battery is poo in it but other then that I’m lucky it hasn’t given me any hassle apart from a weak wifi signal sometimes but few ppl have said it could be down to otterbox case but I kinda need to hold on to this for as long as I can so the case stays!
have your say