Gardaí question man over Taoiseach death threat

Man questioned over Taoiseach death threat


Edwin McGreal

A file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine if a Castlebar man is to be charged after a death threat was made against An Taoiseach Enda Kenny on a social media website.
A complaint was made to gardaí in the town by Mr Kenny’s parliamentary secretary Ger Deere on the Taoiseach’s behalf on Thursday morning over a comment made on a Facebook page almost three weeks ago.
The Facebook page in question is run by a campaign called ‘Save the Sacred Heart Hospital Castlebar’. The following was posted on the page’s timeline on May 18: ‘If they close this hospital il (sic) shoot Enda Kenny JFK assassination style’. The comment remained on the page and visible to the public for 20 days, raising concerns about whether the page was being adequately monitored and moderated.   
A Castlebar man, believed to have been the author of the comment, was taken in for questioning following the complaint. While gardaí would not comment on specifics, they confirmed that they were investigating a complaint about a comment on Facebook and that a file was being sent to the DPP, who will determine what charges, if any, will follow.
The future of the Sacred Heart Hospital had been a contentious political issue in the Taoiseach’s home town in recent months. However, last Wednesday evening, Enda Kenny announced €11 million in funding for the care facility, which he said would secure its future.
The social media campaign was launched last month and there was a rally outside the hospital on Monday, May 27. Members of the Fianna FΡil party in the town were involved heavily in the campaign but claimed it was not a political protest.
Ger Deere, also a member of Castlebar Town Council, said that by not taking down the comment, those behind the campaign had erred greatly.
“The comment was a very serious one and we felt it should be passed onto the gardaí. It crossed the line,” he said.
“Those operating social media should always monitor and police their pages. The operators were so quick to comment on how many ‘likes’ and good reactions they received, but they didn’t see fit to take this down. I’m very disappointed with the operators. It proves that the real intent of the campaign was to promote themselves and not the issue, and to discredit Enda.
“The campaign was a political cheap shot and [Mayor of Castlebar and Fine Gael councillor] Brendan Henaghan summed it up well – they were so afraid of their own toxic Fianna FΡil brand that they would not say it was a Fianna FΡil campaign,” he concluded.
Conor Smyth, the administrator of the Save the Sacred Heart Hospital Castlebar Facebook page, said he had no comment to make concerning the threat to Enda Kenny, as the matter was now with the gardaí.
However, Mr Smyth welcomed the news of the €11 million funding. “I’m delighted with the news,” he told The Mayo News yesterday. “Congratulations to Enda Kenny for delivering. This was always a personal issue for me and not political, I never wanted it to be political,” said Mr Smyth, who is a member of Castlebar Fianna FΡil.
“I’m a member of the Castlebar community who happens to be a member of Fianna FΡil”.