Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said that his party colleague Brian Stanley is guilty of colossal errors of judgement in the wording of two tweets, which Mr Ó Broin said had caused a lot of offence.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Mr Stanley has written to the Ceann Comhairle to request time to make a statement to the Dáil on 15 December.
The controversy began when Mr Stanley tweeted linking the Kilmichael Ambush in Co Cork during the War of Independence in which 17 British soldiers were killed with the Narrow Water bombings by the Provisional IRA at Warrenpoint, in Co Down in 1979, in which 18 British soldiers were killed.
The Laois-Offaly TD came under further pressure following criticism of a tweet he posted about Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in 2017.
The tweet sent by Mr Stanley following Mr Varadkar's election as leader of Fine Gael read "Yippee 4 d tory. it's Leo. U can do what u like in bed but don't look 4 a pay rise the next morning".
Speaking on RTÉ's the Week in Politics this afternoon, Mr Ó Broin said the right thing for Mr Stanley to do is to reflect before making his Dáil statement.
On reports of online attacks by Sinn Féin supporters on people with differing views, Mr Ó Broin said those behind them were not aiding the party and his message to them was to stop.
Minister for Further & Higher Education @SimonHarrisTD raises the treatment of young activist by Sinn Féin and says Brian Stanley must be held to the same standard the party would hold him to. #rtepolitics pic.twitter.com/WDFJFOf5KP
— The Week in Politics (@rtetwip) December 6, 2020
