Elected politicians are giving a voice to the far-right, Minister Mary Butler said. 

The Waterford TD said she has recently received a death threat and been forced to upgrade the security at her constituency office as a result.

The revelation comes days after protestors outside Leinster House placed pictures of prominent TDs beside a mock gallows and a noose.

“Some politicians in Leinster House, in the Dáil and the Seanad, have given a platform to this hatred and conspiracy theories,” she said.

“They are sharing their narrative - that’s very distressing.

“I have to thank the Gardaí in Waterford who have been extremely good to me over the last 18 months - especially since I was made a Minister.”

'A very slippery slope'

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has asked the Garda Commissioner to review the security of TDs and Senators following the protest.

Speaking to journalists in New York, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he has previously been sent death threats as well.

“People make idle threats against each other all the time,” he said.

“I imagine that happens to journalists and teachers and nurses and business people, so I think it’s important that we put that in perspective.

“In terms of credible death threats, there have been one or two and the Gardaí deal with that.”

“Think about that young girl." A young intern in the Dáil was “shoved and pulled” by protestors and possibly had her phone stolen, according to Michael Healy Rae TD. @TheHardShoulder pic.twitter.com/8KZhKEImKW

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) September 21, 2023

Cllr Jackie Healy Rae, whose father had to be escorted into Leinster House by Gardaí, told Lunchtime Live he was worried that a politician could someday be killed.

"Thank God the Gardaí were there yesterday, because if they weren't God only knows what would have happened," he said.

"I do feel that we're going down a very slippery slope in this country.

"Unfortunately, the way things are going, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that unfortunately we'll see a politician killed in this country because of the behaviour of what's going on.

"We saw it in the UK in 2016 with the MP Jo Cox... we're heading in the same direction, unfortunately, in this country."

Main image: Split of Mary Butler and protestors.