Traveller representatives have accused Fine Gael of engaging in "short-sighted, cheap and dangerous" political posturing on the Pádraig Nally case. Joe Humphreys reports.
Martin Collins, assistant director of Pavee Point, accused some politicians of incitement to hatred and criticised Fine Gael for failing to take disciplinary action against offending members in its ranks.
Speaking in Dublin yesterday, Aisling Reidy, director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, said Fine Gael was also guilty of promoting "a murderer's charter" by suggesting changes to the law in light of Nally's conviction for the manslaughter of Mayo Traveller John Ward.
Accusing Fine Gael of political opportunism, Ms Reidy said the party's suggested amendment to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, would allow people to freely commit murder.
She noted that she had attended a Fine Gael conference last summer at which the issue had been discussed, and there had been no clamour to change the law.
However, that view had changed following recent "hysterical" media coverage of the Nally case, which had presented the party with a soft target.
Fine Gael rejected the claim, saying it had indicated its support for a change in the law at its party conference last May.
A party spokesman said it was completely wrong to suggest its proposed Private Members' Bill on the issue would allow for murder, claiming the Bill would merely "rebalance" the law in favour of the homeowner.
The spokesman added: "Fine Gael is not anti-Traveller. When we were in government we brought in equal status legislation."
He pointed out that party leader Enda Kenny had this week "clearly" disciplined Wexford TD Paul Kehoe for suggesting that the killing of Ward had been justified in the circumstances.
But Pavee Point, in a position paper published yesterday, said: "The timing of the intervention by Fine Gael clearly gives the impression, intended or not, that they believe what Pádraig Nally did was justified and that they will amend the law to ensure that people faced with similar circumstances will have stronger defence against homicide charges."
Ms Reidy said Fine Gael's view on the strength of the law might change when a person "not as upstanding" as Mr Nally shot someone in their home.
She pointed out that the proposed amendment could protect from prosecution a gangland boss who was threatened by or pursued for payment at his home by someone who was then shot.
On the question of incitement to hatred, Mr Collins declined to name the politicians who he believed had committed the offence but said they were "self-evident".
He added that the Department of Justice should review the legislation on such incitement so that Travellers could get some redress. A press council was also needed to deal with irresponsible media reporting.
Mr Collins said that Travellers were scapegoated for everything in society, "probably even the snow we have today", adding that the hype around the Nally case had "set us back five years" in terms of developing relations between Traveller and settled communities.
He admitted that some Travellers were engaging in criminal activity, including the intimidation of landowners, but said there needed to be a "balanced and proportionate response".
Travellers had worked in the past with the Garda and local authorities on crime prevention but, he said, "we need to develop mutual respect. Travellers need to feel safe in their homes, too".
Also calling for a balanced political response to the controversy, Ms Reidy said: "There is a pattern of using the law to target communities, and in particular the Traveller community, rather than offending behaviour."