The Tánaiste has condemned threats made against his family as “despicable” and stated that threatening children “is a line no decent society should tolerate being crossed”, reports RTE.
A social media post containing a threat against Simon Harris and his family appeared yesterday morning.
The Tánaiste reported the matter to gardaí, who have since confirmed that a criminal investigation is in progress, reports RTE.
In a statement issued this morning, Mr Harris said: “This weekend, I received direct threats targeting my family.
“As a father, I have very strong views and feelings on this as you can imagine. As a political leader, I find it unacceptable in every way,” reports RTE.
“Let me be clear: threatening people – any person – is a crime. Threatening children is despicable. It is cowardice and it is a line that no decent society should tolerate being crossed,” reports RTE.
The Tánaiste added that he would not be making any additional comments while the garda investigation continues.
Gardaí from Wicklow are leading the inquiry, supported by specialist units including the National Cyber Crime Bureau and the Special Detective Unit, reports RTE.
This is not the first occasion on which Mr Harris has faced threats via social media, but gardaí say they are particularly concerned about the seriousness of this one.
In previous incidents, demonstrators have also appeared outside the family’s home in Co Wicklow, reports RTE.
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