This weekend, The Irish Times publishes a sobering report from Security and Crime Editor Conor Lally detailing how senior politicians are now subject to a level of hostility that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. One Minister has even given gardaí permission to monitor his phone, in an effort to trace an “army” of callers ringing him through the night with threats and abuse.
Others describe being unable to walk through Dublin city centre, or even shop in their local supermarkets without intimidation. The sense of threat has caused others to install fencing and panic buttons at their homes
The report follows the arrest this week of a woman accused of issuing graphic threats to kidnap Simon Harris’s young children. It is not the first time the Tánaiste and his family have been targeted.
Nor is he alone. Female politicians speak of threats of rape and acid attacks; candidates from migrant backgrounds are routinely told to “go back where you came from”. Councillors have been assaulted while canvassing. In September 2023, protesters erected a mock gallows outside Leinster House.
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These are not isolated episodes. New research by Coimisiún na Meán, a media regulator, found that 59 per cent of general election candidates and almost half of local election candidates last year were subject to abuse or threats online.
Other studies suggest more than nine in 10 Oireachtas members have experienced harassment of some kind. The effect is chilling: candidates installing private security, altering personal routines, or leaving politics altogether. Many avoid speaking on contentious issues such as immigration, gender and housing for fear of the backlash. When intimidation distorts debate, democracy is weakened.
Ireland is not unique. In Germany, threats against mayors and councillors have prompted tougher penalties for online intimidation. In France, security was reinforced around MPs after assaults during protests over pensions. The EU’s Digital Services Act, obliges platforms to remove illegal content quickly and to be more transparent about how harmful material spreads. These measures reflect a European-wide recognition that political intimidation has become an urgent democratic challenge.
The response here remains uneven. Gardaí investigate, but prosecutions are rare. Social media platforms are still slow to enforce their own rules. But political culture also matters. When activists, commentators or elected representatives indulge in personalised invective, mocking or vilifying opponents, they legitimise a politics of contempt. That creates fertile ground for the kind of violent rhetoric now directed at politicians and their families. Responsibility rests not only with the far right or anonymous trolls but with everyone who participates in political discourse.
Protecting politicians from intimidation is not about insulating them from criticism. Scrutiny, accountability and argument are the lifeblood of a free society. We in the media have an adversarial relationship with power - that’s as it should be. But when the price of service is fear for one’s safety or family, when ordinary canvassing leads to assault, or when public representatives cannot socialise in their own communities, something fundamental has been lost.
Our democracy depends on more than institutions; it depends on the willingness of citizens to uphold a culture of civility, even in fierce disagreement. The threats now faced by politicians are an attack not just on them, but on the democratic life we all share. Meeting that challenge will require determination from Government, regulation from Coimisiún na Meán, decisive action from social media companies, and restraint from those who too easily resort to personal attack.
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
Editor
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