A candidate in the upcoming general election has called for the reintroduction of the death penalty. The comments were made by John Daly, who is running for the National Party in the Laois-Offaly constituency. He argued that capital punishment should be brought back for “particularly heinous crimes”.
Daly had previously maintained there is a link between the legalisation of abortion and migration rates into Ireland.
Capital punishment
Daly, who is a truck driver and a first-time candidate for the National Party, made the comments on 30 January during a debate on Midlands 103. When asked about his party’s manifesto, which also calls for capital punishment to be reintroduced, he defended the position. Daly contended that it would be used to punish those responsible for “particularly heinous crimes” such as murder.
Drawing attention to the level of crime in Ireland, he affirmed that it would be possible to get public support for a referendum to repeal the 21st amendment to the constitution. This amendment, which passed in 2001, abolished the death penalty in Ireland. And it removed all references to capital punishment from the constitution.
Daly asserted that “There is literally no regard for human life” by some criminals. Therefore, the death penalty should be reintroduced.
Anti-migrant sentiment
During the launch of the Laois branch of the National Party in March 2019, Daly declared that there was a link between the introduction of abortion and migration rates in Ireland. He claimed that the government is “reducing the Irish people by exterminating them”. And it is then promoting a “programme to flood… Ireland” with people from Africa.
Daly said this is “a serious situation we’re facing”. He called it the “extermination of Irish men and women”.
Featured image via Flickr – National Party
