Meath Councillor says racial abuse is a ‘regular occurrence’ after being spat at in Navan
A call for “justice” has been made in support of a Meath councillor who was spat at and racially abused in Navan last week.
Fine Gael councillor Yemi Adenuga said she was returning to her car in Navan on Friday evening after meetings with colleagues and constituents when a man passed her in the street before turning to address her.
“I was returning to my car and this man walked past me initially and suddenly turned and said ‘excuse me’ and I stopped and turned and realised it was me he was referring to. He said: 'You're Yemi, right?’ and I said ‘Yes’,” she explained on a social media post.
“But this person, when I turned, said ‘shame on you, shame on you for trying to teach us Irish people how to live our lives in our own country’.”
According to Cllr Adenuga’s recounting of the incident, the man had said she was “not welcome here” and she can “go to f**k back to where you come from” if she was not “happy with how things are.”
“And that wasn’t the hardest part. He spat on me,” she said when it happened.
When the full council meeting of Meath County Council started, councillors stood in support of the local representative, who reported the incident to the Gardaí.
Speaking at the meeting this week, Fine Gael councillor Sarah Reilly said: “I am so appalled and disgusted. Being spat on I think is the most degrading thing that can happen to anyone.”
Independent councillor David Gilroy said such incidents should not be “tolerated”, calling it an “attack on democracy”.
Aontú councillor Emer Tóibín, who also represents Navan, said: “As a Navan councillor and as a woman myself, this is a despicable thing to do to anyone. What this person did reflects on them and not on Yemi…..there is no place for this in Navan.”
Sinn Féin councillor Maria White spoke about the role people in society play in being allies.
“Unfortunately there is an increase in racial attack and everyone has a part to play as allies,” she said.
“Regardless of the colour of our skin, our country of origin, we are all humans. I’m sad that this has been her experience.”
Mayor of Navan, Pádraig Fitzsimons (FF), described Cllr Adenuga as an "excellent" councillor and said she “has been for the last six years.”
“Regardless of colour and sex, she has also treated everyone fairly. I am disappointed as a Navan person that someone from Navan did this. This level of behaviour has gone past disgusting. I hope you don’t feel like Navan has let you down,” he added.
Cllr Sharon Tolan (FG) said the incident was a crime.
“We need to demand justice. Hope the Gardaí finds the person and they should be charged for a hate crime,” she said.
Cllr John Duffy (FG) said: “She’s so respected and always there for everyone. I know this is not the first time something like this has happened to her....knowing her, she would come back stronger.”
Meath County Council’s chief executive, Kieran Kehoe, “strongly condemned” the behaviour, saying every councillor must be able to carry out their duties free of abuse.
Speaking after her fellow councillors, Cllr Adenuga thanked members for their support.
“This is a regular occurrence for me,” she said. “But this one hit different for some reason.”
“Everyone who lives in this county deserves respect and that for me is a key thing.”
Meanwhile, the Immigrant Council of Ireland said it was “appalled” by the racist attack on Cllr Adenuga.
In a statement, the organisation said racism has "no place in Ireland”. They also pointed to its 2024 research into the experiences of migrant political candidates, which found that women of a migrant background are particularly vulnerable to racism.
According to the research, 74pc of female candidates reported being victimised by political violence such as racism and harassment, compared to 69pc of male candidates.
Cllr Adenuga became Ireland’s first-ever elected black female public representative and Meath County Council’s first migrant councillor. She ran in the local elections of May 2019 and was elected as a Fine Gael councillor, representing Navan Municipal District.
She first lived in Dublin when she came to Ireland in 2000, and relocated to Navan in 2004, where she lives with her husband and children.
On a separate post on social media, she said: “What was meant to break me has instead left me standing because of your priceless support, and I and my family are proud to still call Ireland home.”
“This experience has only strengthened my resolve to keep working hard towards building a better country where everyone can live here with dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging.”
“We need to intentionally start to get to know one another better, because people fear what they don’t know, and too often, have been misinformed about what they think they know.”
“Love will always be louder than hate,” she added.