FINE GAEL MINISTERS have been reacting to a last-ditch campaign video shared by candidate Verona Murphy which claimed she was the victim of “character assassination in the media”. 

The video features shots of newspaper headlines about Murphy and is set to the Survivor song Eye of the Tiger, made famous as the theme tune to Rocky. 

The end of the video states that it was “produced by supporters of the Verona Murphy campaign” and the candidate herself shared it on her campaign page on Thursday. 

Murphy made a number of controversial comments about refugees over the course of the campaign and issued an apology for some of them. 

The video in questions opens with words on the screen reading “after a week of character assassination in the media #fightback”. Later in the video Murphy is described as being: “Hard working, straight talking.”

One man speaking in the video states: “The people of Wexford are going to support Verona Murphy, they’re not going to be dictated to by people inside the Pale.” 

Fine Gael ministers Charlie Flanagan and Michael Creed have both been asked this morning whether they agreed that Murphy was the victim of a “character assassination”.

“Not in a way that was any different to what one might expect in a turbulent election campaign. It was her first outing in politics,” Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said similar: “I didn’t see any evidence of unfair, or unbalanced commentary on it.”

Speaking to RTÉ, both were asked about the video shared by Murphy. 

Flanagan, an image of whom features in the video, said it was “not an official Fine Gael video”.

Creed said he had not seen the video, adding:

“Just to make a point that has been made over and over again by Fine Gael, we believe that the comments made by Verona Murphy were a mistake. And they were entirely regrettable and not reflective of a view that Fine Gael holds on migrant issues and related matters.”