‘Utter nonsense’: Eamon Ryan hits out at untrue stories about him being spread as ‘gospel’ online

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Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has criticised misinformation spread about him and “toxic” comments made by TDs about his climate action policies.

Mr Ryan said a number of stories had been spread as “gospel” online about him that were categorically untrue.

Speaking at a media briefing in the Department of the Environment office before Christmas, the minister said fake news stories about him asking his garda driver to drive his bicycle to Limerick were posted online.

He also said another story spread online stated that he was responsible for a business owner losing their bicycle franchise.

“It was absolutely accepted as gospel,” Mr Ryan said, before adding that the stories were “complete and utter nonsense”.

“There is an issue at the moment in the disinformation,” he said.

The Green Party leader said it was hard to know what was true and what was incorrect in the “viral world”.

“I’m not going on Twitter and fighting away and battling back against that.

“I think you have to invest in good-quality journalism as the antidote to it, but that is a problem like the disinformation and the kind of conspiracy theories that are out there is a real part of the thing we have to challenge,” he added.

Mr Ryan said he would “not point fingers” at any particular TDs but said there was “really toxic” commentary in the Dáil about climate issues.

“That’s not reflective of how Irish people are.

“I fear it could become so if it continues to dominate, but so you have to counteract that, but I don’t think we start out by pointing the finger at other politicians. That wouldn’t be our style,” he said.

Mr Ryan was forced to issue a statement last year when Limerick TD Richard O’Donoghue claimed in the Dáil he had used his state car to have his bicycle brought to the county.

In his statement, Mr Ryan pointed out that at the time he did not have a state car.

Separately, the website Gript had to delete a story and issue an apology to Mr Ryan after it inaccurately claimed the minister’s nephew won a contract for a bicycle hire business in Offaly.

In the Dáil, Mr Ryan has regularly clashed with rural TDs over his climate-action policies.