Irish gay marriage supporters running campaign of ‘intimidation and hate mongering’

Attention has been drawn to the intimidation and vitriol of the Yes campaign in Ireland ahead of the gay marriage referendum on Friday.

Writing for the Irish Independent, journalist John Waters said his family have had to deal with a backlash after he was accused of being homophobic on a TV talk show:

“In all my years observing and writing about the political life of Ireland, I have never encountered anything like the venom of the baying mob that descended on me afterwards”. He said what he had observed in recent months had “chilled” him.

Waters said: “The stories I’ve come across of intimidation and hate-mongering are for me unprecedented in over 30 years writing about Irish life and politics. I met men whose daughters begged them not to let anyone know they were thinking of voting No, lest they, the children, be ostracised by their peers.”

“There are countless examples of illegality and blackguardism: the tearing down of No posters, the gloating YouTube video boasting of this usurping of the democratic process, the egg-throwing, the harassing of a hotel in Galway until it cancelled an anti-amendment meeting”, he said.

Since gay marriage was introduced in the UK we have seem numerous examples of people held to account for upholding true marriage. Citizens in the Republic of Ireland should take note when they cast their deciding vote on Friday.