A “NUMBER” OF reports and complaints have been sent to gardaí and Dublin City Council over stencilled images of Gerry Hutch near a polling station.
Polls opened this morning in the Galway West and Dublin Central byelections, with Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch on the ballot as an independent candidate in Dublin Central.
With voting underway, stencilled images have been spotted near a polling station at St Peter’s National School in Phibsborough.
Without naming Hutch, a Dublin City Council spokesperson said it had received a “number of complaints relating to images being stencilled onto public roadways and footpaths within the Central Area of the city”.
The spokesperson said the Council will issue fines to anyone found to have breached the Litter Pollution Acts.
They added that cleaning crews were “dispatched as quickly as possible to remove the images, subject to resource availability”.
Meanwhile, gardaí said they “do not comment on named individuals, entities or organisations”.
However, a spokesperson added that the “protection of the electoral process is central to democracy and a priority for An Garda Síochána”.
The spokesperson said, as is standard, that a policing plan is in place to “ensure an effective policing response to potential criminal activity”.
“A Garda presence remains in place across the DMR North, DMR North Central and DMR West divisions ensuring voters can exercise their democratic right without interference,” said the garda spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that “electoral legislation provides for specific offences in proximity to polling stations and count centres” and confirmed that gardaí have “received reports of a number of occurrences in north Dublin”.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is responsible for the policy and laws around elections, but a spokesperson for the Department said this stencilling incident is a “matter for the relevant Returning Officer”.
The Department spokesperson said it is their understanding that the Returning Officer “is aware of and is addressing these concerns”.
The spokesperson also noted that during voting, it is an offence for anyone within 50 metres of a polling station to “promote the interest of a political party or furthering the candidature of a candidate” or to “display or distribute any notice, sign or poster”.
In a statement on behalf of the Dublin City Returning Officer, it was remarked that the Returning Officer has “already informed An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council of this matter”, as well as “informing the candidate of his obligations”.