Bradley slams 'inhumane' comments about drowned Buncrana teens

Councillor Fionán Bradley has slammed "inhumane" social media comments that have been made over the past six weeks about schoolboys Emmanuel Familola (16) and Matt Sibanda (18), who drowned in Lough Swilly.

The two teenagers lived at IPAS centres in the town after moving from Nigeria and Zimbabwe in recent years. Hundreds of mourners attended both funerals of the teens, who lost their lives after getting into difficulty while swimming in the water just off Buncrana.

After witnessing several distasteful comments online, Councillor Bradley has been left angry and feeling "ashamed that people from the land of a thousand welcomes could think like that, while two mothers were holding their two dead sons. It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach."

The issue of asylum in Ireland has become increasingly contentious and fraught over the past year, but comments on social media platforms claiming the two teens wouldn't have drowned if they hadn’t come to Ireland were branded as "disgusting and disgraceful language" by the Inishowen Councillor.

The landmark hate crime law came into force at the start June and the new legislation provides for increased prison sentences for certain crimes proven to be motivated by hatred, or where hatred is demonstrated.

Plans for new hate speech legislation were scrapped last year after the government said there was no longer a “consensus” on the issue.

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An Taoiseach Micheal Martin offered his condolences to the families and friends of the two boys online in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. Several users described some of the comments on the Taoiseach's post as “poisonous” while another user added that “Ireland seems totally racist with these comments.”

Councillor Bradley agreed that the comments should be condemned and some of them, "in my humble opinion might verge on a hate crime. It is just mind-boggling that after a tragedy, that would be the first thing that would come to anybody's mind." 

“We do have to get tough in this country about the online world and social media platforms, not allowing people to use them to let off hate-filled commentary. People view the online world as a parallel universe.”

“People cannot be allowed to post things, specifically like some of the commentary regarding the tragedy that was posted, and get away with it because it is inhumane.”

A small portion of the sickening comments came from social media users in Inishowen, but the Buncrana Councillor is glad that the community showed a united front against racism in recent weeks, especially the number of people who attended the vigil following the tragedies. 

“I think it has shown that the people who made those comments are in the minority. I think the tragedy has empowered people to speak their minds and vote with their feet without fear of any backlash. There are signs of a positive mindset and change in some people's views.. Unfortunately, this tragedy had to happen for that to occur," Councillor Bradley added.