Migration Watch website shuts down after Leinster Leader story
AN IRISH website, which tracked the activities of non-national candidates standing in local elections was, according to the site, raided by gardai on Monday and a person arrested. The site, migrationwatch.blogspot.com, this week ceased its operations.
In a report in last week's Leinster Leader, local election candidate in Athy, Ms Frances Soney-Ituen, dismissed the website and its ideologies.
As first reported in the Leinster Leader, the site featured Ms Soney-Ituen in its local election "tracking" of non-national politicians.
It also featured stories on migration with the tags "More taxpayers money wasted on teaching immigrants English", "Non-nationals steal Irish jobs" and regarding migration deportation it headlines "Money well spent".
As a result of the report, many other non-national election candidates throughout Ireland became aware of the website, which also carried their names and addresses.
One Nigerian election candidate Adeola Ogunsina, who is running for Fine Gael in Dublin, made a complaint to the gardai in Blanchardstown last weekend. He said he feared race hate attacks after the blog carried his phone number and address.
According to the operators of the website, in a posting on Monday, its office was raided by the gardai that morning. A person connected with the site was arrested and charged under the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred, 1989, the posting added. It said computers and other equipment were seized.
A statement on its website also explained its decision to shut down. "Our stance has always been that Ireland has never needed the thousands of low-skilled immigrants that have come over to Ireland." The blog was subsequently removed in full on Tuesday afternoon.
Gardai headquarters refused to confirm or deny the raid and/or arrest took place. Speaking on the issue recently, the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office said the legality of convicting people who make racist comments under incitement to hatred laws are compounded when dealing with online blogs, forums and websites because such websites are generally hosted outside Ireland.
Garda Jonathon O'Mahony advised people who are subject to such comments to file a complaint to their local gardai, where the complaint will be investigated by the Garda Internet Unit. He also advised people to approach the Internet Service Provider (ISP) of such websites to highlight such comments.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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