FF councillor accused of promoting 'anti-Traveller rhetoric'

There has been a call for a Galway councillor to be suspended from his duties after comments he made about plans for Traveller accommodation in the city.

The Galway Traveller Movement says the remarks by Fianna Fáil’s Michael Crowe have caused huge hurt and upset.

The Galway City East councillor has raised concerns about the management of two properties in Renmore, which were recently acquired by the local authority.

He says problems have arisen with one of the houses, which has already been allocated, and that he has been told by officials that there are plans to accommodate a Traveller family in the second property.

Cllr Crowe says he feels it is unfair on residents to have this "foisted on the community without consultation".

Earlier this week he told Galway Bay FM that he was opposed to having "vastly different cultures" located in neighbouring properties.

Cllr Crowe claimed local residents were opposed to any plan to house Travellers in the area and that he was also "totally against this".

Today, he said his concerns were fair and legitimate. He has called on Galway City Council to pause and find an alternative use for the property.

Cllr Crowe says the local authority has an obligation to people to ensure that properties they own are properly managed but that this has not happened, in this instance.

It is understood the issue will be discussed at a meeting between housing officials and local area councillors next week.

In a statement, the Galway Traveller Movement said the remarks by Cllr Crowe had "brought us back decades in the fight for equality".

The organisation says the comments would not be tolerated, if they were made about any other ethnic group.

It claims that the councillor has brought the integrity of his office into disrepute by "promoting anti-Traveller rhetoric" and maintains his comments "incite hatred".

GTM has called for a full investigation by both the city council and the Fianna Fáil party.

It is planning to make a number of formal complaints about the matter to the Standards in Public Office Commission, the Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.