ENNISKILLEN Gaels have distanced themselves from three retweets on their Twitter account regarding Derry manager Rory Gallagher’s domestic violence allegations.
Three tweets by sports writer and author, Ewan MacKenna, about the influence of social media in the domestic violence claims against Mr Gallagher, were retweeted by the Fermanagh club.
In his three tweets, Mr MacKenna made his feelings clear on the subject.
“Ultimately, we have officially reached the point where Facebook posts are the prosecution, Twitter is judge and juror, and no defence is allowed. Again if he did something I’d love due process and prosecution by authorities, but seems this is now the way to go. Chilling precedent,” Mr MacKenna originally tweeted.
“I’d add [the] precedent this sets [is] not good. If evidence, investigation, or prosecution don’t matter, and accusation means guilt, in general sense what does that mean? Much like those who cheer cancel culture, they often end up cancelled. Cheer this now, but [what] when accusation comes your way?
“So Rory steps away from this game. I’d therefore ask, given there are no charges, and the accusation won’t go away, what details in [the] dynamic before [the] game, after, and after that, will satisfy [the] mob,” he concluded.
Within seconds of Mr MacKenna’s posts being retweeted by the local GAA club, screenshots of the retweets were doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups.
An Enniskillen Gaels statement denied it represented their views on the situation.
“We have been made aware of a screenshot of a retweet on the Enniskillen Gaels Twitter account. This thread was retweeted in error, the user was unaware that the device in use was logged on to the Enniskillen Gaels feed at the time,” the statement read.
“The retweet was reversed within minutes of the error being recognised. As a club, we do not endorse the specific comments made by this journalist in this tweet. In the wider sphere of this issue, we echo the words of Ulster GAA; we encourage and support anyone who has been a victim of such abuse not to suffer in silence but to avail of the statutory and voluntary support services that are available in the community.”
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