A senior Sinn Féin TD has said he and his family are planning to move house after frightening incidents at their home in recent years.
Martin Kenny’s car was burned in a suspected arson attack outside his home in 2019 at a time when he had been speaking out in support of asylum seekers being housed in Co Leitrim.
Mr Kenny, a father-of-four, told The Irish Times: “We are preparing to sell the house and move, as the trauma of these incidents has taken away our sense of safety.”
In a wide-ranging interview Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman Mr Kenny speaks of his ambition to be the party’s first Minister for Justice, outlining his proposals for boosting Garda numbers and cutting crime.
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He also addresses involvement of convicted criminal and former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall in the ongoing Hutch trial.
Mr Kenny says he hopes it does not undermine his efforts to demonstrate his party’s law and order credentials while insisting Sinn Féin’s work in that area “stands on its own”.
The Sligo-Leitrim TD and his family live in a small rural community in Co Leitrim.
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He says the burning of his car in 2019 came during “a tense period when protest and objection to refugees being housed in Ballinamore became really aggressive and split the whole community.”
Mr Kenny said the proposal was for 25 refugee families to be housed in previously unfinished apartments. He said the protests have since ended and “there hasn’t been any problems whatsoever” with the refugees who are now living in the community.
There have been recent protests at refugees reception centres elsewhere.
Mr Kenny said these protests should be about political failures in the areas of housing and health and not “other vulnerable people who need help and assistance.”
He says the vast majority of Irish people have been “generous and open” in welcoming people from abroad.
He said: “Despite an intensive Garda investigation, nobody has been found for the burning of the car...
“I may never find out who carried out the arson at my home, but I know that the fear and hatred and aggression generated at the time has haunted us as a family since.”
After that incident a series of security measures were put in place at his home including electric gates and CCTV.
