Gardaí Investigating ‘Especially Sinister’ Threats Against Harris

Delgany patrol…

hreats made on social media over the weekend targeting the Taoiseach Simon Harris are now being investigated by gardaí.

The post appeared for several days on an Instagram account which has now been switched from public to private.

Having been made aware of the threats soon after it was published, gardaí have described them as “especially sinister”, containing reference not only to Mr Harris but his family too, whilst referring to a weapon and extreme violence.

This comes in a week when British Prime Minister Kier Starmer has stated that anyone making hateful and inciteful posts on social media that have added to the current anti-immigrant riots across the UK will be brought to justice, with the first such case having begun.

Following today’s confirmation from gardaí that they were working with Instagram to identify the person behind the threatening post, Harris addressed the issue this afternoon.

“The laws of the land apply to people online just as much as offline. There can be no hiding place for anyone seeking to threaten, attack or harm people, or to incite others to do so.

“Politicians have become a regular target, and it is on the brink of being viewed as acceptable or a normal part of the job. It is not acceptable. I get up every day and go to work, and work as hard as I can. So do most politicians I know from all parties and none. Constant efforts to target us, demean us or dehumanise us should never be accepted, never be normalised, and always called out.

“I will never be deterred from doing my job as Taoiseach.

“Men and women of An Garda Síochana do us proud every day in their work, and I thank them for that. I thank the people right across this country for their kindness and decency – it means the world to me and my family.”

Over the past few months, the Taoiseach has had a bomb threat at his home phoned in to the Samaritans along with protests at his family abode in June and May.