Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Facebook needs to review its standards after the tech giant ruled a post comparing the management of Quinn Industrial Holdings to the notorious Shankill Butchers did not violate its rules.

For years Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) tried to have the ‘Sean Quinn Community Page’ removed, but it was only taken down after the shocking kidnap and torture of chief operating officer Kevin Lunney.

Gardaí and the PSNI are now expected to request data from the social media giant in an effort to identify who moderated the page.

Although the group sought to promote the return of Mr Quinn to his former business, he had no involvement with it.

READ MORE: Kevin Lunney attack: Investigating gardaí release details of distinctive van

Material published on the page vilified QIH’s management team, including Mr Lunney.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Facebook needed to “rethink” its standards.

Speaking in New York he said: “I think, given these particular events, Facebook needs to review its community standards.

“Nobody wants to restrict free speech, whether it’s in the press, on the airwaves, in the street or online.

“But these particular posts related to some very serious criminal activity.

“I really think that Facebook needs to rethink its standards in that regard in light of these events.”

Mr Varadkar – who has been attending United Nations meetings in New York – has talked with other leaders about the ‘Christchurch Call to Action’, which is aimed at cracking down on online terror and hate.

Ireland is participating in the initiative, which came about after the horrific terrorist attack on mosques in New Zealand in March.

The attack – in whick 51 people died – was live-streamed by the suspected perpetrator on Facebook.

READ MORE: Founder of site linked to mass shootings says he created ‘Frankenstein’s monster’

Mr Varadkar said the the Christchurch Call to Action was “very much about extremism online and preventing terrorist attacks”.

He said that, on a “micro level”, the intimidation and attacks on QIU staff had “some of the hallmarks of that – a violent attack on innocent individuals and possibly connections to terrorist or former terrorist organisations as well”.

He outlined the government’s response to the series of incidents targeting QIU staff and property.

“From the government’s point of view, we’re very much focused on securing arrests and securing convictions and bringing people to justice.

“About 150 extra gardaí have been assigned to the Northern Region in the past two years. And the armed support unit in Cavan-Monaghan will be operational in the next couple of weeks.”

READ MORE: Martina Devlin: ‘Kevin Lunney was abducted and tortured to create climate of terror… lawlessness is putting down roots in Quinn Country’

Material published on the ‘Sean Quinn Community Page’ page sought to vilify the QIH management team, including Mr Lunney.

A message posted last September claimed five named executives had been the subject of a ‘kangaroo court’ which found against them.

It said: “In the early eighties we had the notorious Shankill Butchers, based in Belfast they were led by a man called Lenny Murphy.

“Now… based in Derrylin we have the Derrylin Butchers have (sic), and continue to stab Seán Quinn in the back.”

The post claimed “this gang” was led by local men Kevin Lunney and Liam McCaffery, with the help of Tony Lunney, John McCartin and Dara O’Reilly.

“Rumour has it they have gone through a kangaroo court and have been found guilty. Their sentence will be based on how quickly they remove their knives from Seán Quinn’s back, how quickly they plead guilty, and how quickly they vacate the business and land that they have stolen,” the post said. It included images of the five businessmen.

READ MORE: Facebook page comparing Quinn chiefs to Shankill Butchers ‘did not violate rules’

Complaints were made to Facebook about the message, but the company did not remove it because it said it did not amount to a direct threat.

It’s understood Facebook removed several other posts in recent years. However, the Shankill message was judged not to have crossed the required threshold to be taken down. The entire Facebook page was deleted on Monday for violating authenticity polices rather than any of its content.

A Facebook spokesperson said: “There is absolutely no place on Facebook for threatening behaviour. Over the past few years, following reports, we have investigated and removed a significant number of posts about senior executives of Quinn Industrial Holdings for violating our Community Standards.

“We have also provided relevant information to Quinn Industrial Holdings’ legal team in accordance with court orders. We continue to urge people to report content they believe breaks our rules so that we can investigate and take swift action.”

READ MORE: Eilis O’Hanlon: ‘What happened in the past is not an excuse for going soft on North thugs’

QIH welcomed the fact the page had now been removed from the internet, but a representative said Facebook had cause for “very significant reflection having failed to remove threatening material from its platform, including references to a ‘kangaroo court passing sentence”.

Meanwhile, Garda Representative Association member James Morrisroe, of the Cavan/Monaghan division, said that numbers in the Ballyconnell Garda Station have fallen significantly in recent years.

“Ballyconnell was a district HQ, but was downgraded in 2011. There were in and around 32 garda members at that time, but that is now down to 13,” he said, calling for an Armed Support Unit for Cavan.

READ MORE: Garda commissioner announces new armed support unit to patrol border from next week

Yesterday, forensic testing of a horsebox – where detectives suspect Mr Lunney was tortured and beaten – took place in order to determine if the DNA discovered is linked to the victim or his attackers.

Source: Read Full Article