Travellers targeted online after M9 crash - Pavee Point

Pavee Point has reported a significant wave of racist abuse directed at the Traveller community on social media in the aftermath of a fatal M9 motorway crash in Co Kildare. The organization stated that many social media users have targeted Travellers with abuse, linking them to the collision that claimed five young lives.

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This is a terrible tragedy, a terrible human tragedy and a tragedy for all concerned, and indeed a senseless tragedy

Funerals for three of the five young people killed in the two-vehicle collision took place on Friday. The victims were traveling to Dublin Airport when the crash occurred. Three women and a seven-year-old boy who were in the collision remain in hospital with serious injuries. Pavee Point spokesman Martin Collins expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

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We can't understand or comprehend why some people, a significant number of people on social media in particular, see ethnicity or ethnic identity as being relevant and important.

Collins described the online comments as "vile racism" and stated that those posting such content were "devoid of any humanity." He acknowledged public anger over the crash circumstances but condemned the focus on ethnicity. "We can't understand or comprehend why some people, a significant number of people on social media in particular, see ethnicity or ethnic identity as being relevant and important," he said. He noted that the entire Traveller community was subjected to racial abuse, with comments including calls for sterilization and imprisonment in concentration camps.

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He said there had been a wave of "vile racism directed towards the Traveller community" and towards the five people who were killed and their families.

Collins also addressed the context of the victims' backgrounds, mentioning their involvement with child welfare services (Tusla) and troubled upbringings. He stressed this was not to justify the "irresponsible, reckless decision to drive on the wrong side of the road" but to provide context, citing the influence of social media, peer pressure, and dangerous stunts for online attention. He condemned TikTok for refusing to appear before a parliamentary committee to discuss videos of illegal motorway driving and emphasized the duty of social media companies to combat hate speech. "This is a terrible tragedy. And this should bring communities together. It should unite. There should be solidarity rather than division and hate," Collins urged.

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It's unacceptable