Level of misinformation around Carlow shooting 'shocking'
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the level of misinformation that emerged following a shooting in Carlow town on Sunday was "shocking".
22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald fired a shotgun into the air a number of times at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, before he died from a self-inflicted wound.
Nobody was injured by the shots fired. A young girl in the shopping centre with her parents sustained a minor leg injury when she fell while running from the scene.
The Taoiseach said the level of misinformation that emerged on social media platforms in the immediate aftermath of the incident was "quite shocking".
Mr Martin said he saw some social media posts saying seven people had been killed in the incident.
"There is a family in mourning right now, but the level of misinformation on Sunday was quite shocking, and we can't just ignore that and say, well, we don't have to do anything about that," he said.
Mr Martin was responding to a question about the impact of potential misinformation regulations on freedom of speech.
The Taoiseach said: "Obviously, in any analysis and evaluation of policy, account will be taken in respect to protecting freedom of speech, but it's not freedom of speech really, when it's just a blatant lie and untruth which can create a lot of public disquiet, as we have seen."
He said these issues do need to be addressed.
Mr Martin said: "There are very strong protections in our Constitution and in our laws on freedom of speech, so I wouldn't overstate the impact on clamping down on blatant lies online as a sort of incursion or an undermining of freedom of speech."
He added: "We believe in freedom of speech in this country. We will always support it, protect it to the best possible."
Senior analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue Ciarán O'Connor said that as soon as word emerged of the incident in Carlow, rumours and claims began to surface online "making stunningly definitive but wholly inaccurate statements."
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: "One of the most notable ones claimed that seven people including a child had been shot.
"That post was published on X and has over 360,000 views. It hasn't been taken down, no kind of action identifying it as a false or misleading claim on the platform itself."
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