Gardaí 'monitoring the situation' after Cork families exchange of threatening Facebook messages

Garda HQ also stressed that the posting of the messages on Facebook is not connected with violent incidents that have occurred in recent days in Cork City

Gardaí 'monitoring the situation' after Cork families exchange of threatening Facebook messages

Gardaí have said they are aware of an exchange of threatening social media messages between two Cork City-based families and are monitoring the situation.

Garda HQ also stressed that the posting of the messages on Facebook is not connected with violent incidents that have occurred in recent days in Cork City, including an assault in Blackpool and an attack in Mayfield in which someone was set on fire in their home.

It is understood one initial message was sent by one family based on the northside of Cork City to another family, but this has since been taken down.

In a video apparently posted on Facebook in response to the first video, a short clip shows at least 16 men, all with faces covered and carrying slashers and poles and referring to themselves as 'the dirty dozen', telling the other family "the likes of any of you we catch around this road, we're going to beat you to death".

Chief Supt Barry McPolin said: “We are aware of tensions, we are not investigating anything but we are monitoring the situation. We are working with Traveller support groups and we are patrolling the areas.”

The senior Garda was quick to stress there was no link between these tensions and the previous incidents and added: “All these incidents are separate. We’re not aware of any connection [to any recent incident] at this juncture.

Gardai are monitoring the situation as well as liaising with local support organisations and understand there has been some ‘sabre rattling’ between different groups of late.

In an official statement a Garda spokesman said: "An Garda Síochána are aware of a video circulating on social media in which a family are threatened.

The video is not linked to any violent incidents in Mayfield and Blackpool or the desecration of graves at Kilcully cemetery that An Garda Síochána are investigating.

As for the posting of potentially inflammatory or threatening messages in general on social media platforms such as Facebook, Chief Supt McPolin said: "Certainly the likes of these videos are not good on social media, certainly they are not helpful."

He said on the wider issue of moderation he believed some form of mechanism should be in place that would limit the likelihood of such videos being posted.

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