Hundreds of female councillors warned following spate of ‘distressing’ phone calls

A wave of “persistent and distressing harassing telephone calls” to female councillors has been reported to An Garda Síochána. The Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) said it was seriously concerned by the recent reports and has attempted to contact more than 900 female politicians with advice and support. It was made aware of a number of incidents “involving repeated calls from an individual who has subjected female elected members from across the political spectrum to disturbing and inappropriate sexual comments”. Association president Aengus O’ Rourke said the situation was “deeply concerning and point[s] to what appears to be a deliberate campaign targeting women in public office”. READ MOREThe phone calls have been reported to gardaí, who are closely monitoring the situation, the association said, urging anyone who receives such calls to report them. The AILG has contacted every female councillor in the country to make them aware of the situation, said its head of operations Elaine Lynch. “The calls have generally come from withheld or private numbers and have contained disturbing and inappropriate sexual comments,” she told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland on Thursday.“What’s particularly concerning to us is that the reports have come from different local authorities and political parties and that suggests to us that women are being specifically targeted here. In one reported case, after answering a call a female councillor received a further 16 calls within the space of an hour.”Members of the public have been asked not to contact councillors from private or withheld numbers and are encouraged to leave voicemail, send a text message or email. “We’ve 959 female councillors, so obviously our message has been to advise and prioritise the safety of our female members, tell them to exercise caution with withheld numbers. We’re telling them not to engage,” Lynch said. The calls, she said, represented a direct attack on local democracy and specifically on women, while the additional safety protocols were leading to concern among representatives that they would not be as easily reachable to constituents. “The parting message I want to give to women that might be listening [is] don’t let the actions of one individual discourage you from public service,” she said. “I’ve witnessed the incredible women that we have and I get to work with them every day and see what they achieve. So, we need more talented women at the council table.”