At least one Dublin City Councillor is being investigated for breaching the local government code of ethics.

Dublin City Council (DCC) Chief Richard Shakespeare last night told a special meeting on misinformation and public safety that complaints are referred to an ‘external professional’ when the council believes the legislation has been breached.

When he was asked if the council was currently investigating any complaints, he said, “Yes would be the answer”.

Immigration

The meeting was called to address the “urgent and growing issue of misinformation, particularly regarding immigration”.

That came after an incident in Finglas where Gardaí interacted with a man with limited English.

Investigators later issued a statement asking people to beware of “misinformation currently in circulation online and through direct messaging apps” over claims the incident involved some sort of criminal activity.

Gardaí also asked the public, media “and public representatives” to “independently verify the source of their information to ensure accuracy”.

Misinformation

Speaking at the council meeting last night, Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan said elected officials must not publish misinformation about immigration issues.

“Social media is a tool that we all use but we need to use it in a responsible way and too many times we have seen that happen by elected people to this chamber,” she said.

“We must receive the proper information from all relevant bodies before the falsehoods are allowed to grow legs and run.”

The meeting was proposed by Independent Councillor Barry Heneghan who told representatives there has been a “surge in false narratives” – claiming social media platforms are being used to spread “toxic, politically motivated narratives” about immigration.

He urged all councillors to unite against “racist rhetoric” and “harmful misinformation”.

With reporting from Emma Tyrrell.