The Dublin City Council is currently looking into two formal accusations made against Independent city councillor for Dublin, Gavin Pepper, in regards to supposed violations of the council’s ethical code. The Council’s chief executive, Richard Shakespeare, confirmed the investigation during a council gathering that was organised by another Independent councillor, Barry Heneghan, to take on the “immediate and escalating problem of deceptive information, particularly concerning immigration”.
According to Councillor Heneghan, it is the councillors’ responsibility to present a united front against “racist language” and “destructive false information” that poses “a significant danger to public safety. Meanwhile, Councillor Pepper has advocated for mass deportations and frequently utilises the hashtag #Irelandisfull in his social media posts that centre around immigration issues.
Chief executive Shakespeare explained that anyone can accuse councillors of crossing the boundaries laid down in the Local Government Act by submitting their complaints to the council’s ethical registrar. All such complaints will then be carefully studied, and if it is concluded a violation has occurred, the situation will be upgraded to a full investigation led by an external expert.
When queried by Labour councillor Dermot Lacey about any ongoing investigations, Mr Shakespeare affirmed his statement. The investigations follow a complaint regarding a mysterious phone call accusing Councilor Reddy of spreading false information about Councilor Pepper’s family, and a motion proposed by Councilor Reddy in a council’s north west area committee meeting on September 17th denouncing attacks on asylum seekers in Finglas and the “dissemination of hateful misinformation regarding migrants.”
During the assembly, Cllr Pepper accused Cllr Reddy of “labelling everyone in the northwestern part of Dublin as racists and fascists.” In response, Cllr Reddy confirmed he had lodged a grievance with the council’s ethics registrar, claiming that he was being slandered. He explained his general reluctance in filing complaints against his fellow councillors, but believed he had to do it in this instance, to prevent similar situations involving others.
When asked about his comments, Cllr Pepper declined to provide any further details, stating that the matter was under investigation and it would be improper for him to interfere with an ongoing process.
He also acknowledged at the Tuesday evening council meeting that he himself had been falsely accused of being a “terrorist” and a “property owner.” He attempted to discuss the topic of missing children in state care, but halted midway, expressing confusion about his intent.
Additionally, Mr. Shakespeare mentioned at the assembly that he has the authority to impose penalties against a councillor if a complaint is substantiated but refused to elaborate on what those might be.
The council communicated on Wednesday that a formal complaint procedure is currently in effect and stressed that it would not be suitable to make any further comments while an investigation is still underway.