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Sinn Féin’s TD Brian Stanley’s social media accounts were taken down tonight in the wake of controversy over two separate tweets.
The Laois / Offaly MP told The Irish Times: “From what I can see this is a coordinated effort coming from Fine Gael and certain sections of the media and if that is the game they are playing, I am not part of it. of the. I’m not allowing people to misunderstand [my comments]”.
His Twitter and Facebook accounts were no longer visible.
Earlier, Stanley said he had nothing to apologize for for a tweet he sent about Leo Varadkar in 2017 when he was elected the head of Fine Gael.
In the 2017 tweet, Stanley, now head of the Public Accounts Committee, wrote “yippee 4 d tory. it’s Leo. You can do whatever you want in bed, but you don’t look like a raise the next morning. “
During the release of a PAC report, Stanley said his track record of campaigning for gay rights “speaks for itself.”
“Some people have set out to try to twist this in some way. I don’t have to apologize to anyone because my gay rights record is valid. I campaigned in all campaigns for gay rights. I grew up in an Ireland where homosexuals were criminalized. I grew up in an Ireland where women were treated horribly. So I don’t have to apologize to anyone. “
Stanley added: “Let me just say this, if we’re going to get to the point where we don’t allow a certain level of freedom of expression and every word is twisted and transformed, then we’re not going to get very far as a society. . “
When asked to explain the tweet, he said: “What I meant by that tweet was that we were trying to push through legislation and measures regarding workers’ rights and the minimum wage and minimum wage. The point I was making is that it’s great that we’ve achieved rights for gay people and women and of course that. But what I wanted to say was that we still had the missing piece as a Republican, the missing piece, to try to promote workers’ rights. “
Stanley said short tweets can be “misunderstood.”
“’Yippee’ meant that I celebrate the fact that we have come this far in terms of rights for gay people.
“For some people from the other major parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, it took a while, and I’m not saying this in a disrespectful way, to turn around the issue of gay rights and contraception.”
In additional comments provided by Sinn Féin, Mr. Stanley said: “I have been involved in politics my entire life and defending the rights of all citizens, including the rights of the LGBT community, has been key in everything I have done. My record speaks for itself.
“That tweet was about Leo representing people ‘getting up early in the morning’ but their refusal to keep a living wage. It does not mean or suggest anything else. “
Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Catherine Murphy, said she did not think Stanley’s 2017 tweet was acceptable.
“Representative Stanley has spoken to us about his own role in promoting the rights of people, gay and bisexual and LGBT in general, and I accept that, but I don’t think it is acceptable to link someone’s sexual orientation to public policy. I don’t think the reference to the (old) Taoiseach is acceptable. “
Earlier, senior members of Fine Gael asked Stanley to clarify the tweet sent in June 2017 when Leo Varadkar became party leader.
Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh called on Sinn Féin to “set the record straight” in a tweet, saying the party should clarify what was meant by the message.
“They need to make things clear as a party. This is much bigger than just a tweet from Brian Stanley. This is the essence of what opposition politics looks like.
“It is disappointing to see this from a public representative. The entire Sinn Féin party must acknowledge this.
“From a personal and professional point of view, when you enter the arena of politics, there are consequences for everything we post on social media.”
Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond said: “This tweet from Rep. Stanley is extremely disturbing and would be viewed by most impartial people as completely inappropriate.
“There should be no room for such comments anywhere in Irish society and MP Stanley must, again, account for his actions online.
“Taking that into account and some of the horrendous abuse that has been done to the Tánaiste online, it takes a genuine Sinn Féin intervention to address MP Stanley’s latest inappropriate tweet.”
Ógra Sinn Féin’s Dublin wing said Wednesday night that the tweet was sent in connection with comments Varadkar made during Fine Gael’s leadership campaign on the representation of people who get up early in the morning.
However, there was concern among some Sinn Féin members over the message and several members expressed their concerns on social media.
Stanley apologized Wednesday for a controversial tweet referring to incidents from the Revolutionary War and the Troubles.
He said his actions were his. “I take full responsibility for them. There is no one else who should take responsibility. I am very aware of what he has said ”.
On Saturday, TD Laois-Offaly tweeted in reference to the Kilmichael Ambush in 1920 and the Narrow Water Massacre in Warrenpoint, Co Down.
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