Gardaí Investigate Alleged Assault by Election Candidate in Wicklow

Gardaí are investigating an alleged assault involving Wicklow general election candidate Philip Dwyer and a person canvassing for a political opponent. The incident reportedly occurred in Bray, Co Wicklow, outside Holy Redeemer Church on Main Street, on Sunday shortly after midday.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed the investigation, stating they are looking into an alleged assault that took place on Main Street in Bray on Sunday morning, November 24, 2024.

The incident came to public attention after Philip Dwyer shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), showing a heated exchange between him and People Before Profit candidate Kellie McConnell, along with her colleague. In the video, Dwyer questions McConnell about her views on abortion and transgender issues, mistakenly identifying her and her colleague as members of the Social Democrats. However, the election materials they were holding indicated they were representing People Before Profit – Kellie McConnell.

During the exchange, Dwyer asks McConnell if she believes in God and if she is a Christian, inviting her to debate. When McConnell declines, Dwyer accuses her of being exclusionary. McConnell responds by stating she does not engage with people who are racist and homophobic, to which Dwyer takes offense, calling her remark libelous. McConnell then ends the conversation, indicating she is not engaging further.

Dwyer continues to ask McConnell’s colleague to debate, but she also declines. He questions their stance on abortion, pointing out their location outside a church, before they turn away.

People Before Profit commented on the incident, stating it occurred while their activists were promoting their election message in Bray. They condemned Dwyer’s actions as harassment and affirmed their commitment to their campaign against Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, adding that they had provided full details to the Gardaí.

On Monday, Dwyer confirmed he posted the video and claimed he was assaulted outside the church and called a racist and a homophobe. He stated that although the video does not show any physical interaction, he had approached McConnell to ask for a debate on her campaign issues, particularly her stance on abortion, as he is opposed to abortion and transgenderism being introduced to school children.

Dwyer claimed that after the People Before Profit team moved on, someone came up behind him and shouldered him in the back. He responded by pushing the person away and telling them to leave him alone.