Government ministers receiving several new death threats every week as safety concerns escalate

Justice Minister Helen McEntee speaking speaking to the media at Government Buildings in Dublin

Government Ministers are receiving several new death threats every week as concern for their safety intensifies.

Security on all cabinet members is now to be stepped up, including increased protection both at their work and their homes.

The move follows the bomb threats to Justice Minister Helen McEntee last week and the evacuation of her young family from her County Meath home. The two calls came from the Cork area. The incident caused outrage among politicians across all parties.

The Immigration Minister Roderic O’Gorman was also targeted several days previously with a controversial protest by people in balaclavas outside his home.

Both Government and Garda sources say the new threats are coming from all sorts of directions, between members and sympathisers of the Far Right angered by immigration to people disgruntled with their own personal circumstances and furious with the world.

But the security forces are taking no chances and the armed Garda drivers who accompany all ministers have been warned to be on full alert. They are all fully-trained bodyguards and elite marksmen who drive the Ministers around.

A Government source said: “There is not a week goes by that there are new death threats against ministers. I’d say we are getting a dozen every few weeks.

“There are some very nasty and dangerous people out there and we have to take each and everyone of these threats seriously.

“Protection at the homes of ministers will be increased and we have to ensure that every Cabinet member is safe so they can do their job. If that means having Gardaí full time at their homes, so be it, although most would rather not be in this situation.

“Ministers are worried for their families and especially their children.”

A new law to ban people from protesting outside the home of politicians is now on the cards and the legislation is likely to be brought before the Dáil within weeks.

This will ban demonstrations being held within 500 metres of a TD’s house and anyone convicted will face a heavy fine or jail. There is growing anger within the Government at the security threats against them and the targeting of their homes and loved ones.

The source added: “The Ministers are not going to take this lying down and let members of the Far Right in particular get away with this. We are battling for the soul of democracy right now and we have to fully protect all our people.”

Ministers believe that the abuse of politicians generally is getting out of control – fuelled by social media – and they expect it to get even worse in the run up to the June local and European elections.

The Aontu leader Peadar Tóibín condemned the threats against Helen McEntee and said it was “absolutely shocking”.

He said: “It is incredible to think that a democratically elected minister would be in receipt of bomb threats in this day and age. This is a threat first of all to a mother, second of all to a democratically elected minister, but it’s also a threat to the democratic system that we have in this country.”

Labour’s Aodhán O’Riordáin TD said: “This is a new low in politics. I have to say I have been doing this for about 20 years and what I am coming across at the moment is unprecedented levels of anger, violent language, abuse which is making a lot of political parties find it difficult to find candidates.”

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