Mary Lou McDonald reports death threat to gardaí and says online abuse is escalating
By Cate McCurry, PA
Mary Lou McDonald has reported a video of a masked man who threatened to “shoot” her to gardaí.
The Sinn Féin leader said the threats represent an “escalation of targeted online abuse” directed towards her in the last year.
The masked man also threatened the life of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
The video, which has been widely shared on social media, also shows the man voicing his support for the rioters in Coolock in north Dublin.
Ms McDonald tweeted: “Last night a threat to kill me was issued online. The individual said he would shoot me dead.
“This represents an escalation of targeted online abuse directed at me over the last year. It is totally unacceptable.
“I have reported this to An Garda Síochána.
“Ironically, this threat was made while I was hosting a discussion on the need for zero tolerance when it comes to violence against women and girls.”
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Ms McDonald said the threat had been “blatant and blunt.”
It represented “an escalation on what has been a really relentless campaign over the last 12 months or so of abuse of a misogynistic, sometimes a racist nature, really piled on against me in a very concentrated and coordinated way.
“I'm all for freedom of expression. I do not believe in censorship. I am also not somebody who is touchy or sensitive about criticism and commentary that comes with being a public figure, but I do not accept, and I will not accept threats against my life, or anybody else's. It is utterly unacceptable. And it is sinister. And I have reported the matter to An Garda Síochána. I expect them to deal with it appropriately.”
The threat did not relate to any specific issue, she said. It was part of a trend over the past year from a “very organised section of people online to have a run at Sinn Féin and at me in particular.
“I think the objective of the exercise has been to cast doubt or alienate or disrupt the relationship between myself and Sinn Féin and those that would support us, rely on us to represent them and it's been pretty relentless.
“If you visit any of my social media platforms you would see that. But last night, that escalated to a direct threat to take my life. And I'm shocked by this, to be honest with you. And as I say, I've placed it now in the hands of An Garda Síochána.
“The same individual made a threat against a senior member of An Garda this year, that to me, is completely unacceptable. And I expect that that matter will be dealt with as well.”
Ms McDonald's comments come after former taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed there were times when he was fearful for his own safety.
The former Fine Gael leader, who announced he will not be contesting the next general election, said that he never let security threats “bother” him.
It comes following reports that gardaí increased Mr Varadkar's security in 2022 following heightened security threats.
Mr Varadkar also said he instructed gardaí not to give him too much information about potential threats as he did not want to be distracted from his work. – Additional reporting: Vivienne Clarke