Áine O’Connell | Staff Writer
Welfare and Equality candidate Muireann Montague has released a statement this morning following an incident over the weekend. The incident was first made public by TCDSU, who posted last night that “It has come to our attention that, in recent days, the questioning of the character of the candidates and their attitudes has gone far beyond what is considered reasonable within the context of an election”. Such questioning stemmed from a member Muireann Montague’s campaign team and is understood to have been aimed at another Welfare and Equality Candidate, Conor Clancy.
The campaign member allegedly accused Clancy of homophobia and circulated such views widely. The TCDSU post re-affirmed all five Welfare candidates’ commitment to “principles of respect and consideration of others, and believe in the equality of all our students”.
Montague’s statement was posted on the TCDSU website this afternoon. Montague states that she was “made aware of an incident yesterday evening where a member of my team fell below standards” who has now been removed entirely from her campaign. Montague also states that she had no knowledge of the incident until yesterday and “disagreed completely” with what had been said.
Other candidates that spoke to The University Times today have expressed surprise and disappointment with this twist in the Leadership Race, given the ideologies of the Welfare and Equality Officer position “that is supposed to be about empathy and support”.
When asked for comment, Conor Clancy stated “The incident in question involved a member of Muireann’s campaign team. The comment that was made was obviously hurtful and untrue and accordingly the student who made it has been dealt with.” He further stated that “we are completely satisfied with the steps that Muireann has taken to deal with the incident and are keen to leave it behind us and get back to the Leadership Race. We also appreciate the solidarity shown by all the Welfare candidates in the joint statement released by TCDSU last night.”
Montague’s Facebook page is currently down as per Electoral Commission sanctions and it is understood that she is limited in her campaign team’s abilities today. Montague also stated that she reported the incident herself to the Electoral Commission as soon as she became aware of it. Montague apologised “wholeheartedly to any candidate(s) who may have been affected by this person’s actions”.
