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YOUNG FINE GAEL has said it hopes a tweet about killing a child, aimed at a Sinn Féin councillor, did not cause offence.
The now-deleted tweet was sent late on Friday night after Sinn Féin councillor Sarah Holland tweeted criticism of the Late Late Show interview with Health Minister Leo Varadkar.
In response to one of her critical tweets, the official Twitter account of Fine Gael’s youth wing said:
Sure why don’t we all join the populist movement. Where’s that child I killed?
The tweet was deleted a short time later, but Holland’s screengrabbed it and tweeted it herself, asking who was behind it and seeking an apology.
Holland, a mother-of-one who is running for the Dáil in Dublin-South West, said the tweet was “hurtful and offensive” as it tried to associate her with the murder and violence of the Troubles.
She told TheJournal.ie:
It’s kind of upsetting but Young Fine Gael have form for that and to be honest I would not try and judge them too harshly because they are teenagers and people in their 20s.
She added: “It’s hard to reconcile being associated with violence and murder when you are someone who is anti-violent.
“What I presume they were doing was associating me with violence and murder, that association that Sinn Féin had as the political wing of the IRA. But I joined Sinn Féin after the IRA ceasefire, from a community-based background.”
Young Fine Gael declined to offer an apology when approached today. A spokesperson said:
The tweet came to our attention this morning, Monday. It was sent in error from the YFG Twitter account & it was deleted immediately. We hope no offence was caused.
They would not answer questions about who sent the tweet and whether any action was taken against the person who did.
More-or-less the same wording was tweeted at Holland this afternoon after TheJournal.ie raised the issue with YFG:
Holland admitted that this was not an apology but said it was probably the best she would get.
“I meet these kids face-to-face now and again and they’re okay, they’re teenagers. They don’t seem to realise that these things are really hurtful. They’ll learn as they get older,” she added.
A spokesperson for Fine Gael said: “Young Fine Gael (YFG), the youth branch of the Fine Gael party, is an autonomous organisation which maintains its independence from the Fine Gael Party. Fine Gael has no control over the YFG Twitter account.”
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My gf was walking just in front of me in madrid using the metro and a boy and girl no older than 14 tried to dip her bag. Such a boot up the hole they got . Ireland 1 -spain 0
There was a wonderfully insightful show called ‘scam city’ made by the good people of nat geo. Presented by an irish bloke who travels the world investigating and revealing the elaborate and dangerous scams in operation. From the lowly card shark to organised crime. All the episodes are on youtube and he rated barcelona the worst place of all for pickpockets. The problem is beyond endemic
Hand it to the French ! They are great at downing tools to support a cause…..we should take a few leaves from their books !!
Damn straight Michael. Moving back to Dublin in a few months after 5 years in France, going back to university before hopefully returning one day. We gripe about life in France the same as one would anywhere, but overall a fantastic country to live in with a very particular but endearing people.
I was completely safe in Paris, being on a bike tour and looking a little rough around the edges. That was until I refused to give up my seat to a local for him and his girlfriend to sit down in McDonalds. Boxed me in the face after I repeatedly refused to move. Then sat eating his meal knowing the cops were after being called. His girlfriend spat on the police station floor and gave out to me for not being able to speak french in the lobby, after which I was brought upstairs away from her. Aside from that… Paris is a lovely place.
Heard one of the security guards had an ART attack!!
red thumbs WTF
Not Ireland,was in Italy recently and noticed very few gangs in the train station.This was not the case a couple of years ago when I felt very unsafe.
Only back from there myself and a Roma went to grab my bag as I boarded the train, I slapped his hand away and shouted at him and after I got on board he just stayed there looking for another person to dip.
But AArum, will you not respect their ‘Culture’?!
It’s in their culture to steal from you so you should just put up with it :)
I disagree… Depends where you go. I was in Naples last week and it was horrendous. Rescued an American woman getting horrible abuse from down and outs.
Bugger thier culture. It’s our culture to retaliate. Sc*mbags , all of them
Do not be surprised if one day in the future another “Funny little man with a moustache from Austria” comes along with a “solution” to the Roma “problem” .
We should be so lucky…
And our city scangers are just lovely….!
#Godwins Law
Distraction tactics are favoured, Reuters reporting that some bird called Mona is in on the gig!!!
Felt sp unsafe in Paris. I’ve been there back in 2008 and I saw one city. Just came back from there last week and I was so disappointed on how it has changed. It’s dirty, lots of people begging and this feeling to be aware of the pickpockets all the time. Same here in Dublin where I got robbed 3 times in a short period of time… Whatever the reason is its getting worse and worse :(
Was there last week for a few days and agree with your comment. Too many beggars and roma’s
God…. even the robbers are emigrating…. at least they ve developed some taste and gone more upmarket. ..the louvre is much better than the board walk or Talbot St. …
I am so annoyed that The Journal censors any comments that are to do with references to Romanian criminals,pickpockets and muggers . It’s as though WE are being censored . Whatever happened to free speech.. Please allow the truth to be aired.
Romanian criminals? Are you for real? No wonder they censor your posts!
Roma gypsies does not stand for Romanian Gypsies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_(Romani_subgroup)
And travellers are not Irish. Right.
Nice one Fin Tastic, hiding behind a pseudo name,wonder where you are from. Another one afraid of publishing the truth. Only when the onslaught arrives will you wake up and smell the coffee.
Luas ticket “inspectors” ought to do the same until the scanger problem on trams is dealt with.
I was in Paris recently with my wife and we were plagued with would be pickpocketers at every tourist attraction. The were mostly roma girls who were very aggressive . Great city anyway and very enjoyable trip.
I’d bust their f*%kin heads in!
Get a cross body bag or a satchel and always keep it in front of you. Over 20 years travel experience on 4 continents including cities like Paris and Barcelona, sometimes as a solo traveller, and (touch wood) never been as much as hassled. If you wear a backpack, you might as well offer your valuables around on a plate.
+1 I was in Paris just before Easter & there was a lot of Roma gypsies about but they weren’t any more or less annoying than the Roma gypsies on our streets in Ireland. I had an across body bag with me & felt really safe. Paris is amazing.
People should be wary all the time & especially in big cities..
A friend of mine always uses a back-pack, but keeps both zips locked with mini pad-locks…keys are around her neck under her clothes.
Seeing the confusion on a pick-pockets face was quite funny as they tried their luck while getting on the underground in London.
I’m a cross-body bag person though…
Their called the Labour Party in Ireland.
They are….
This is a record! About 30 comments before someone linked it to Irish politics!
It was nice while it lasted. Let’s just get the elephant in the room….
FUGGIN BONDHOLDERZZZZZZ
Fagan and the artful Dodger made it to France. Got to pick a pocket or two.
Robbng the Irish taxpayer every week collecting their dole as well.
Bit of a coincidence that they go on strike on the same day as Paris st Germains biggest match of their history in champs league tonight. They’re picketing from the boozer I’d say :-P
Absolutely agree about Naples. Desperate place. Filthy and Roma gypsies all over the place they ride the trains and everything, exactly what we have in the streets of Dublin just more if them. Did not see one cop the place is run by the mafia. Allegedly. All the local people on the trains were lovely telling us to watch our bags. Have travelled many places in the world and it was the most unsafe we ever felt.
Great comment. I made a somewhat similar comment earlier about the same problem in Dublin , especially around Grafton St area but it was deleted by the powers that be @ the Journal. Let not the truth be known..
The demographic in question was named on most other news outlets, but oh no, not here…
Exactly, next the Journal will be denying the holocaust ever took place.
In wonder where the pickpockets hail from…..
Sligo
Did they walk out through Louvered doors?
Visit Antwerp on a fairly regularly and see very very few beggars but police are very evident.
have your say