“I do not want the people of Ireland to elect me as President of Ireland just based on one statement I made.”
Presidential hopeful Peter Casey will take the weekend off to decide whether or not to continue in the presidential race.
In a statement released on Friday, Casey said:
“In light of the events of the past few days, I am taking the weekend off from the campaign to think carefully about whether to continue in the race.
“I do not want the people of Ireland to elect me as President of Ireland just based on one statement I made.
“I want to be of service, and make a real difference. I have the expertise and ability to be an influencer. I want to connect people, at home and abroad. I know that my world experience and global views will make me a uniquely suitable candidate for President of Ireland – with drive, ability and energy.”
Casey has come under fire in recent days for comments he made regarding the Travelling community.
In an interview on ‘The Floating Voter‘ podcast on independent.ie, Casey spoke about last year’s decision by the Dáil to give formal recognition to Travellers as a distinct ethnic group.
Casey said: “That’s a load of nonsense. They are not from Romany or whatever.”
“Can you imagine the brave person from Dublin that would say, ‘I’d love a lovely four-bedroom house with solar panels and beautifully kitted-out kitchens’?”
He went on to say: “Somebody needs to sit up and say this is nonsense. Here we are are giving them luxurious houses and they’re turning them down because they’ve no stables.”
Casey then refused to back down over his comments on the Virgin Media One debate, moderated by Pat Kenny on Wednesday night.
In response to Gavin Duffy claiming he asked him to withdraw his comments, Casey said: “I stand by the remarks, you didn’t ask me Gavin that’s a lie, and if you had have asked me, I’d have said no.”
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