Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman says he is worried that Ireland is reaching a tipping point when it comes to violence against politicians.
The Dublin West TD was speaking at his party think-in in the wake of the killing of conservative US commentator Charlie Kirk.
Mr O’Gorman was the target of threats and protests during his time as Minister for Children in the last Government.
Asked if he thought Ireland was getting close to a more dangerous situation, he said: “I am worried that some morning we’re going to turn on Morning Ireland and hear – not a report from happening in the States or the UK, but something happening here.”
He said he really felt that “a step has to be taken, can be taken in Ireland, I think it has to be taken in Europe as well”.
“One concrete proposal that we’re calling on Government to at least examine today is to look at the recommender systems, those algorithms that the platforms use to target and to promote certain types of material to people,” said Mr O’Gorman.
“And we know those systems are there, and we believe they should be turned off. We think that is an important step that could be taken.”
Green Party Senator Malcolm Noonan will be raising online regulation with the Joint Oireachtas Media Committee
He said Senator Malcolm Noonan, who sits on the Joint Oireachtas Media committee, will be raising the matter there, and asking the minister to engage with Coimisiún na Meán.
Mr O’Gorman said he spoke about the regulator’s code of conduct that was published last year.
“In the draft code of conduct, there was a proposal through to turn those recommender systems off that didn’t actually make the final draft. And I think that measure should be looked at again,” he said.
“It’s not the absolute solution here, but it will stem the flow of a very significant amount of violence, of radicalizing imagery to young people, and particularly to people who are who are vulnerable to the impact of this.
“This is a non-partisan thing. This is about making politics safer, making public life safer for absolutely everybody.”
‘I had to dramatically change my life’
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Speaking earlier on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr O’Gorman said he never considered leaving politics when threats were levelled at him during his time as Minister for Integration.
“I didn’t consider leaving politics, but I had to dramatically change my life,” he said.
“Our house is like a fortress now, in terms of electric gates, five cameras, alarms … It does dramatically change your life.
“I’ve always made the point that in Ireland, politicians are accessible. We’re different to politicians on the continent where there’s a huge gap … I still did it, but it was different.
“On a Sunday evening when I’m out shopping, I’ll pick up a few constituency queries. I couldn’t do that when I was minister because you had this bubble around you.”
Kirk killing ‘appalling, horrifying’ – Tánaiste
The Tánaiste Simon Harris has described the killing of Charlie Kirk as “appalling” and “horrifying”.
He said that what happened the right-wing political activist is disturbing.
“This is a very dark day, a dark development, and it needs to be condemned,” he told reporters in Adamstown this morning.
“Two young children have been left without their dad. A wife has been left without her husband. And political violence is never acceptable,” he said.
The Tánaiste said that it sadly seems that political violence and threats is “almost contagious right across the globe” and it cannot be tolerated.
“It’s very easy for people to condemn violence, political violence, threats of political violence, when it’s against somebody that they agree with. It’s actually more important that it’s condemned when that violence is carried out against somebody whom you may have different views,” he added.
