Election 2020
Galway West candidate suspended from People Before Profit
Galway West People Before Profit candidate Joe Loughnane has confirmed he has been suspended from the party and is to step down from all organisations for which he campaigns.
He issued an apology to a 20-year-old woman who has accused him of deliberately smashing her phone and spitting on her.
The first photo is @pb4p’s candidate smiling pretending to be a good person like he wants the world to think he is
The second photos are of my phone after he smashed it and spat on me for not giving him my password. Vote left, but don’t vote him. Please. pic.twitter.com/mGU0xgz9HQ
— Róisín 💓 (@roisin_nicloch) February 8, 2020
“I want to apologise for extremely bad behaviour I commited last year. I apologise to @roisin_nicloch. I have and will do everything I can to rectify this situation. This matter is being taken very seriously,” he said on Twitter.
He later issued the following statement:
“I am suspended from the party with immediate effect and will face disciplinary proceedings. I intend to resign after Roisin’s experience is dealt with officially.
“There is nothing I can to say to excuse such behaviour. I should know better. I have been seeing a counsellor and will continue to do so.
“I want to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to Roisin and to ensure everyone that I accept responsibility for my actions.
“This type of behaviour is the very thing the politics I have tried to represent, rallies against. I have let down that politics, I have let down my party, I have let down all my supporters.
“I have let down the women who have supported me.
“I will be stepping down from all organisations I campaign with. I will be making every effort to ensure I fundamentally address how I can exhibit such behaviour while claiming to stand for equality.
People Before Profit Galway said: “The members of People Before Profit Galway are shocked and outraged to learn of the actions of Joe Loughnane.
“We send our solidarity and support to the young woman involved.
“It has come to light this morning that he has been physically aggressive with, and damaged the property of, a young woman.
“There is absolutely no place in a proudly socialist feminist party like People Before Profit for people who behave like he has. Disciplinary action has been initiated by party HQ and he is suspended from the party.
“He does not represent us.”