Complaint made following Kildare councillor's appearance at Tommy Robinson rally

NEWBRIDGE councillor, Chris Pender, has submitted a formal ethics complaint against cllr Tom McDonnell following his appearance at a rally in London led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The complaint comes amid growing backlash over cllr McDonnell’s speech at the “Unite the Kingdom” rally on Saturday, 16 May, where he spoke about immigration and called for Ireland and the UK to “unite our flags”.

Speaking publicly after filing the complaint, cllr Pender said he had debated whether to comment on the controversy but ultimately felt it “cannot be ignored”.

“A sitting Kildare County Councillor travelled to London, stood on that stage, posed with Tommy Robinson, and reportedly spoke about immigration, ‘mainly Muslims’, and Ireland and the UK needing to ‘unite our flags’,” he said.

“That is beyond embarrassing. It is disgraceful. And it is dangerous.”

Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the co-founder and former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right group associated with anti-Islam demonstrations in the UK.

In his statement, cllr Pender said Mr Robinson’s politics are “based on fear, division, and hostility towards migrants and minorities”.

“That is who Cllr McDonnell chose to stand beside. That matters,” he added.

Cllr Pender also said the issue extended beyond the London rally, claiming he had previously submitted complaints concerning language and conduct by Cllr McDonnell.

“At some point, people are entitled to ask what the Code of Conduct is actually for,” he said.

“Councillors are supposed to act with dignity, respect, equality, and integrity. Those words cannot just sit in a document. They have to mean something when it is difficult.”

The comments follow widespread criticism of Cllr McDonnell’s appearance at the rally from local political representatives and community groups.

During his speech in London, Cllr McDonnell claimed women in Irish towns are “afraid to walk the streets at night” and children are “not allowed out to play” due to immigration.

He also appealed directly to US President Donald Trump, stating: “Donald Trump, if you’re looking in please do something for Ireland.”

Cllr Pender said Newbridge and Kildare are communities made up of people from “different backgrounds, beliefs, nationalities, sexual orientations, and life experiences” and said residents should not feel targeted by elected representatives.

“This was not a mistake. It was a choice,” he said. “And I believe Kildare County Council now has a responsibility to take it seriously.”

Cllr McDonnell has not responded to requests for comment.

However, the Newbridge representative has made his letter to President Donald Trump available to the public via social media, which clearly lays out his aims, making reference to the extinction of the Irish people due to immigration and the inward migration of “one and a half million aliens”. In the five-paged letter, cllr McDonnell draws comparisons between the Ulster Plantation – a colonisation method undertaken by Britain to occupy land in Ireland – and the state of immigration in Ireland today. He calls it the “re-plantation”.

The lengthy letter includes a “manifesto” which proposes: a declaration of a national state of emergency in respect of immigration and “bogus” asylum seeking, for “illegal” immigrants to be detained in IPAS centres and guarded by the army until deportation, for foreign nationals who have committed crimes to be deported, to end financial “handouts” to illegal asylum seekers, for detained illegal asylum seekers to be financed to leave Ireland permanently, and for an end to the “grotesque discrimination” against “indigenous” Irish people – with priority for housing for Irish people only, not including those who have been given “fraudulently issued citizenship”.

It also proposes that 90 percent of employment in Irish industries and business be allocated to Irish people, not including anyone described as “new Irish”, that all “Islamist immigration” be immediately terminated with immediate steps to “radically” reduce the number of Muslims in the country, for RTÉ to be “cleansed of foreign influence”, and for the setting up of a “Welcome Them Home” department to encourage Irish abroad to come home for the “reconstruction of Ireland and its indigenous economy”.

In the conclusion of the letter to Trump, he writes: “On our bended knees, we appeal what remains of that civilisation to rescue our homeland from its present existential predicament.”

The Code of Conduct for Councillors, under the Local Government Act 2001, explores the use of social media by councillors and includes that unacceptable use of social media through “content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, age, race, religious belief, or membership of the Traveller Community”.

Kildare County Council has said “in relation to complaints concerning councillors, where the Ethics Registrar becomes aware of a possible contravention of Part 15 of the Local Government Act 2001, the matter must be brought to the attention of the Chief Executive and the Cathaoirleach of the council. It is then a matter for the Chief Executive and the Cathaoirleach (or the Chief Executive, as appropriate) to consider what action, if any, is appropriate under the legislation”.

Possible actions may include: deciding that no further action is required, an informal approach for less serious matters may be adopted, an investigation into the matter, referral to the standards in Public Office Commission, referral to An Garda Síochána, or any other course of action considered appropriate in the circumstances.