Fianna Fáil has taken down a social media video that was recorded during Jim Gavin’s involvement in a 10km race on Wednesday, reports Breaking News.
The clip, originally posted to Mr Gavin’s Instagram, showed the Fianna Fáil presidential hopeful stating he had received a call from a named Defence Forces officer stationed in Lebanon on a UN peacekeeping mission. He also sent his regards to Irish personnel taking part in the deployment.
Speaking to The Irish Times, a spokeswoman for the campaign said there was no intention to politicise anyone, and that the video had been taken down “out of an abundance of caution”, reports Breaking News.
She explained that there were no security concerns related to identifying the peacekeeper, as it is standard for Defence Forces members to be named and photographed by media before and during overseas missions.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have removed the name referenced in the video. The Defence Forces is a non-political organisation. At no point was there an attempt to politicise anyone,” the spokeswoman told the paper,” reports Breaking News.
“Jim Gavin served in the Defence Forces for over 20 years and participated in the 10km run as he has done regularly over the years. For the avoidance of any doubt, the name has been removed,” reports Breaking News.
The footage was captured while Mr Gavin was finishing a 10km charity run in support of an organisation assisting Defence Forces veterans.
This follows a separate incident earlier on Wednesday, where Mr Gavin had to pull another campaign video that featured uniformed army members applauding him during a road race, after the Irish Defence Forces stepped in, reports Breaking News.
The military issued a statement on Wednesday night reiterating its politically neutral stance. This came after both the video of soldiers in uniform clapping, and a photograph of Mr Gavin with his arm around the Defence Forces chief of staff, were deleted from social media.
A party spokeswoman confirmed to The Irish Times that the video, which included an image of Mr Gavin alongside Defence Forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, had been taken down in response to media questions on Wednesday, reports Breaking News.
The Defence Act 1954 prohibits uniformed members of the Defence Forces from canvassing for political parties or addressing political gatherings.
The Gavin campaign spokeswoman confirmed the Defence Forces had contacted the campaign about the video, but noted it was already under internal review by then, reports Breaking News.
A Defence Forces spokesman told The Irish Times that Óglaigh na hÉireann “is an apolitical organisation. The An Cosantóir 10km road race and 5km walk is open to all permanent Defence Forces, reserve Defence Forces, Department of Defence and veterans”.
Mr Gavin ran the race on behalf of the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, reports Breaking News.
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