SOCIAL Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan believes that Gardaí in Limerick require adequate training and resourcing to tackle online harassment which they currently do not have.
The City West representative was responding to new research from Hope and Courage Collective and Doras, launched last week, which shows how social media, racial profiling, and coordinated vigilante activity led to a subsequent attack on an Afghan man in the city last month.
The 64-year-old was assaulted in Limerick after a false claim about him was posted online and rapidly spread, the report said, by far right disinformation networks.
Speaking to the Limerick Post this week, Cllr Elisa O’Donovan warned that the spreading of disinformation online and vigilante action puts every single person in danger.
“This could happen to anyone and is a clear attempt to cause division and fear in our communities. If you see violent content targeting vulnerable people within Limerick online, please report it. This sort of activity and behaviour really makes us all unsafe,” she added.
Fine Gael councillor Olivia O’Sullivan took the view that people need to think more critically and realise there are “bad actors” manipulating things behind the scenes, which can lead to hateful, racist, and bigoted incidents. Their tool, she said, is fear, “and they fan that fear in communities to put us on edge”.
“We need to be savvier and learn to recognise it and not let them manipulate us in this way,” Cllr O’Sullivan insisted.
The City North representative strongly condemned the attack on the 64-year-old man in Limerick last month and wished him well in his recovery. She says she was horrified to hear what took place.
“To think it was a planned campaign of deliberate disinformation which led to it is shocking and deeply worrying,” Cllr O’Sullivan said.
“We have a vibrant migrant community in Limerick and they make a huge contribution to our many services, our healthcare service is a prime example.
“People need to know not to believe everything they see online – we need to question it. Think first before reacting and forwarding/resharing posts,” she advised.
When contacted for comment, Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea said he had every confidence in the Gardaí in Limerick to thoroughly investigate all reported incidents of a potential crime.
