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THREE ELECTION POSTERS belonging to the mayor of Clonmel in Co Tipperary were set on fire last night.
Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy has posted a video on social media showing one of his election posters going up in flames.
Murphy told The Journal the burning of the posters was a “cowardly, evil act” and that he would be making a statement to local gardaí at some point today.
“I think it was about half past nine, I got a call to say that some of my posters were on fire at locations around Clooneen and Kiltinan,” Murphy said.
I will continue to represent the people of South Tipp and will not be dissuaded by the cowardly, evil actions of a tiny minority. Thank you to the thousands of people I’ve already met during the election campaign. I’m more determined than ever to be your voice in the Dáil. pic.twitter.com/dOY2CGOjSx
A passerby contacted Clonmel Garda Station to report one of the fires. Murphy does not know the person’s name but said he was thankful to them for alerting gardaí.
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Last night was not the first time his posters have been targeted since the general election was called last Friday, Murphy said.
“A number of posters have been defaced with graffiti, words like scumbag and traitor have been written on my posters.”
He said up to ten of his posters had been defaced in this way.
“Traitor” is a common term used to describe politicians by those on the anti-immigrant far right in Ireland.
“Myself and my wife, at half past seven yesterday morning, had to remove the word scumbag from the window of my office,” he added.
“But last night’s criminal damage was just an escalation and obviously, it’s now a matter for An Garda Síochána. It’s very disappointing.”
Murphy stressed that “more than 99% of people that I’m calling to, you know, they’d be very respectable. They’re conscious of how lucky we are to live in a democracy where everybody has got the right to vote, notwithstanding this evil, criminal act”.
“This is probably my fifth election and I’ve never experienced it before,” he said. “I can’t say a single poster was defaced in the local elections.”
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Murphy also expressed concern that a burning sign on the side of a small local road could be a dangerous distraction for drivers.
Despite the damage done to his posters, Murphy said he is “now more determined than ever to win a seat in Dáil Éireann on behalf of the people of south Tipperary”.
He called on those who set fire to the signs to desist and said, “Let’s get on with the election. Let’s let the people decide”.
Also today, a number of Fine Gael election posters in Waterford were found defaced with the word “traitor” scrawled on them, as local radio station WLR FM reported.
Defacing and damaging election posters has become more common in recent election campaigns. Politicians themselves have also been accosted, and in some cases, assaulted.
On Friday, a billboard promoting the candidacy of Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley was also defaced in County Clare.
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