A FLOAT IN the St Patrick’s Day parade in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo that featured people mimicking sexual activity and carrying a sign reading “Epstein Files” has been condemned by the Rape Crisis Centre for trivialising sexual assault. 

Video has circulated online showing the float being pulled by a tractor down the street with men chasing people dressed as girls alongside it. 

On the float itself, a number of people were seen mimicking the rape of people dressed as girls on a mattress while another person dressed as a garda pulls one of them away and puts them in a mock cell. 

The float was adorned with Irish flags and signs that read: “Prince Andrew going to jail.” 

The video shows numerous children in the crowd lining the street in Ballinrobe as the float passes. 

Jeffrey Epstein was a paedophile financier with connections to many famous and powerful people. One of them is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the British prince who has been stripped of his titles because of his close relationship with the convicted sex offender. 

Epstein died in a New York jail while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges in 2019. A coroner ruled he died by suicide. 

Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the float “trivialises the awful reality of sexual violence and is extremely insensitive to victims and survivors”. 

She also said it is “further evidence of a lack of awareness of the impact of sexual violence and of the harm and trauma it causes”, which can have life-changing effects. 

“Parading acts of sexual violence through our main streets and turning rape and assault into a joke trivialises and stigmatises the experiences of victims and survivors,” she said, adding that it has sent “a very harmful message that sexual violence is something to mock and make light of”.

Morrogh noted that many victims of rape and sexual assault do not tell anyone about it “because they fear they won’t be believed and often worry that what happened wasn’t serious enough” and that the message sent by the float only reinforces that fear. 

“If anyone has been affected by this incident or needs support after sexual violence at any time, they can contact Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s National Helpline at 1800 77 88 88 for free and confidential support,” Morrogh said.