November 9 - Offensive posters at Sugar Hill

I WISH to be given the opportunity to respond to the article in the Limerick Leader of November 2 regarding the anonymous postering on a bridge in Sugar Hill, West Limerick, and the rightful expression of outrage regarding the contents of a couple of those posters by two Fine Gael county councillors, Jerome Scanlon and Damien Riedy.

[Editor’s note: One of the offending posters, pictured, stated that Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who is Jewish, “has learned well from his homeland how to crucify the little people”.]

I respect the sensitivities and the outrage expressed by them, which they are entitled to express. I oppose cruel, unfounded and untrue personal attacks on any individual. My political interests are those that highlight the issues facing the people of this country and highlighting the role of those who are responsible in implementing and supporting policies that lead to those issues. I have had no problem highlighting those issues in the past and I will continue to do so. I have never worked under anonymity and I don’t intend to.

National issues are my main and real concerns, but due to your paper’s sensational article I have been unwittingly and reluctantly drawn into an international issue that somewhat implicated Mr Shatter. Even though the sentiments expressed by the anonymous individual were rightfully deemed to be unacceptable by councillors Scanlon and Riedy, it ought to be understood by them that their party colleague Mr Shatter has refused to condemn the many atrocities been perpetrated by the state of Israel on a daily basis on the innocent Palestinian people.

Having expressed outrage regarding those posters, it is difficult to understand how councillors Scanlon and Riedy have failed to express similar outrage regarding the cruel policies being implemented by their party.

Obviously, these councillors must be living in the same cocoon as Alan Shatter appears to be.

CHRISTY KELLY

TEMPLEGLANTINE, CO LIMERICK