SINN FÉIN IS looking into an allegation that one of its activists told a constituent in Dublin Bay North to “f*** off” while canvassing them last Wednesday evening.
Mary McKeon, who lives on Collins Avenue in Whitehall, claims the comment was made to her by a man canvassing on behalf of Sinn Féin candidate Denise Mitchell last week.
She contacted Mitchell and the party leader Gerry Adams on Twitter but received no response.
Sinn Féin said this evening it is looking into the allegation and said such behaviour is “completely unacceptable” to the party.
McKeon said she was at home at around 7.30pm last Wednesday when a canvasser for Sinn Féin candidate Denise Mitchell knocked on her door.
She said: “I immediately said: ‘Look there’s probably no point, I wouldn’t vote for you.’ He said that was fine and then I had a look at the leaflet and then I asked about their economic policies.”
The personal assistant, who is from Raheny, said the canvasser explained how the party’s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty was the first to realise the €2 billion hole in the government’s fiscal space figures. McKeon said she then asked if there were any economists working for the party and the canvasser named someone.
However, McKeon said she then opened the leaflet and upon seeing a picture of leader Gerry Adams she told the canvasser she would be “embarrassed to have somebody like him representing my country”.
She said the man took offence to her description of Adams and insisted he was a really nice man. McKeon said she did not deny he is a nice man, but that she would not be happy with Adams representing the country.
“Then he started saying that’s your ideology and I said: ‘You’re standing at my front door asking for my opinion and my vote.
Then he just told me to ‘f*** off’ and walked away. That was a lovely way to speak to a lady at her own hall door.
Mitchell did not respond to TheJournal.ie‘s request for comment this afternoon, but a Sinn Féin spokesperson said:
We are currently looking into this allegation. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable to Sinn Féin.
McKeon said she grew up in a Fianna Fáil household but is unsure about who to vote for in this election. She added: “I would always vote but, to be honest, it’s so hard this year I can’t even say.”
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