A Dublin City Councillor has apologised for circulating a picture of a spoiled vote which contained racist and anti-LGBTI+ comments, and derogatory comments about the Presidential Election candidates.
Independent Councillor Philip Sutcliffe said the photo was shared accidentally on his social media accounts on polling day and that he was unaware that it had been circulated in his name.
It is understood a number of councillors were considering making a complaint to the Council's ethics committee before he issued the apology.
In a written statement to his fellow Dublin City Councillors which was read onto the record of the monthly Council meeting by the Lord Mayor, the former boxing coach and supporter of Conor McGregor said he would never share anything like the image which he said was not his own ballot paper.
He said he believed the content was "absolutely disgusting and completely unacceptable".
"I take full responsibility for what happened and I'm very sorry for any offence or confusion caused. It was an honest mistake and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Cllr Sutcliffe said.
Sinn Féin's group leader on the council Daithí Doolan said that he believed it would have been more fitting for Cllr Sutcliffe to read out the statement himself saying that councillors need to be responsible for their actions.
He described the apology as "half-hearted and mealy mouthed" and he said the language used on the spoiled vote was "not acceptable" and "wrong".
In a statement, Cllr Doolan said: "Sharing the image of anyone's ballot paper means his fingerprints are on it and he must take full responsibility for the consequences. The councillor’s actions have added to the division and hate that gave cover to attacks on IPAS centres in Dublin and Drogheda."
"This was not a full apology. The councillor didn't make an apology. He got someone else to make it for him. I firmly believe councillors must now give serious consideration to making a formal ethics complaint about what was shared on the councillor’s social media," Mr Doolan said.
The apology was followed by a heated exchange between the Lord Mayor Cllr Ray McAdam and the Independent Councillor Gavin Pepper about the decision to refuse an emergency motion proposed by Councillor Pepper.
Cllr Pepper said he was disappointed by the decision not to allow his motion about a child in the care of Tusla, saying that he felt it was "tone deaf".
Lord Mayor McAdam said the motion was outside the remit of the council and that he was concerned the exchange would now be used by people "of a certain persuasion" for their benefit on social media and that he was "not putting up with it".
He said he had been targeted and received death threats following another exchange during a council meeting to discuss the Presidential Election.
He said while he was not accusing Cllr Pepper of being responsible for those threats, he said he did not want this exchange used in this way.
Cllr Pepper said the Lord Mayor should be careful about the way he used his rhetoric and that any threats to the Lord Mayor were nothing to do with him and suggesting so was "disrespectful".
