The Limerick Councillor caught up in controversy over comments he made at a Council meeting on Monday has told Gript that his remarks were aimed at the knife attacker who stabbed three children, and not the Dublin rioters.
Fianna Fáil Councillor for Limerick City West, Abul Kalam Azad Talukder, made headlines after The Limerick Post first reported that he said that he would “like to see” those behind the Dublin riots “shot in the head” – or beaten by the public “until they die,” with his words becoming the source of widespread criticism.
However, he has denied that he meant the rioters. Speaking to Gript today, Cllr Talukder claimed that he was referring to the individual who stabbed children outside a Dublin school last Thursday, and not those who subsequently rioted on Thursday evening.
“I made the comments, because who can stab a five-year-old kid? I said they should be shot in the head, but I did not mean a real shot. I mentioned in the Council that I did not mean this literally. I did not mean for the person to really be shot,” he said.
Asked whether he made the comments about the rioters, he added: “I didn’t say it about them. The way it was reported by the newspaper, it looked like I was talking about the rioters. But I mentioned the five-year-old kids. I mentioned that clearly, and I said, ‘Who can stab five-year-old kids?'” he added.
“No, this was not about the rioters. I would not say that,” he said. “This was about the person who attacked the five-year-old children.”
Cllr Talukder said that he regretted making the comments in the first place, and said he apologised at the meeting. He added that he did not mean the words in a literal sense, adding it was “an expression of emotion.”
“I shouldn’t have said what I said, and I made an apology in the Council, in my speech, when I said I didn’t mean it literally.”
“I didn’t say this about the rioters. I said that the person who can stab five-year-old kids is an animal, and I said he should be publicly punished, and he should be shot. Another Councillor, Cllr Sheehan, said that I shouldn’t have said that, and I made an apology. I clarified I didn’t mean it literally.
“I have kids also, it was only an expression,” he added.
Cllr Talukder further claimed he would not have made such comments about the rioters, for his own personal safety, adding, “Why would I put my family and myself in danger?”
“I did say about the rioters that they are not ideological, that they were just there robbing and looting the shops.”
He further claimed that he rang a local radio station to speak on air about the issue this morning, but he did not receive a call back.
“They’ve not come back to me yet,” he said this afternoon. “I don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes.”
On Thursday, Fianna Fáil said it would “engage” with Cllr Talukder over the comments, in response to the controversy.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast on Thursday morning, Fianna Fáil Minister of State Jack Chambers said the comments were “totally inappropriate.”
“The party will engage with him on his remarks,” he added.