A man in his 30s has been charged after an alleged assault on Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman.
The alleged assault occurred while Mr O’Gorman was canvassing in his local community in Dublin West yesterday.
It is understood that the alleged assault took place on a doorstep in Blanchardstown, with Mr O’Gorman having a clipboard with him knocked out his hands during the physical altercation.
However, Mr O’Gorman was not injured in the incident and his Garda protection officer intervened.
In a statement, Mr O’Gorman said that the otherwise positive canvas was “marred by an alarming incident with one individual”.
“With an election due shortly, I am deeply concerned about the increase in abuse and threats that politicians face, particularly in the last number of weeks,” he said.
“It is abundantly clear that rampant misinformation on social media is driving extreme views. Misinformation is near-total on some platforms. I have seen the effects of that first hand, for both myself and for many other elected representatives.
“We cannot tolerate a situation where people running for office – from all parties and none – face the threat of violence for doing so.”
Mr O’Gorman added that he has been canvassing in Dublin West for more than 20 years and that “it is my home”.
“Meeting people and chatting through the issues has been and always will be at the heart of my work as a public representative,” he added.
A statement from An Garda Síochána said: “A man in his 30s, arrested by Gardaí following the alleged assault of an elected representative canvassing in his local community in Dublin on Saturday, 2nd November 2024, has been charged.”
They confirmed that the man would appear before Blanchardstown District Court tomorrow morning at 10.30.
“Investigations are ongoing,” the Garda spokesperson added.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said that what happened to Mr O’Gorman is “absolutely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated or accepted in modern democracy”.
“I am so glad to hear he is ok and back out canvassing,” Mr Harris said.
“The safety of all politicians and all their canvassers is paramount in the forthcoming election.” The Taoiseach added that the “overwhelming majority of people are fundamentally decent”, saying that it engaging with the public is core to Irish democracy.
“It is essential in the weeks ahead that political candidates can go about their campaigning in complete safety and without fear.”
Speaking on Sunday evening, Micheál Martin said the alleged assault on Mr O’Gorman was “deeply concerning”.
“Ireland prides itself on its engagement between the people and its elected representatives,” the Tánaiste said.
“There should be no violence, or fear of violence, when engaging in the democratic process.”
