Town Councillor has something against Travellers who wear Prada. - Ireland

From Joe.ie

A town councillor who once shook the hand of Muhammad Ali looks like he could soon be trying to shake off a series of outraged Traveller groups who disagree with his latest statement.

The Evening Herald reports that councillor Frankie Neylon from Clare has ruffled some feathers by hitting out at “Prada-wearing Travellers.” Uh-oh…you can just tell where this is going…

Speaking at a public town council meeting, Mr Neylon insisted that members of the Travelling community who are convicted of taking part in feuds should have their social welfare benefits withdrawn completely.

Mr Neylon, who is now the deputy mayor of Ennis in county Clare, said that Travellers should be hit in the pocket because of the way they drive around in new cars and “salute you with their Prada coats on them.”

Needless to say it wasn’t long before the backlash began...

Traveller group Pavee Point described Mr Neylon’s comments as “totally unhelpful” and “dangerous.” They also said that the comments only encouraged people to exclude members of the travelling community.

“I don’t know of any Traveller who wears Prada but the insinuation there is that the wealth talked about was got illegally. If that is their belief, evidence should be provided to the gardaí,” said Martin Collins of Pavee Point.

However councillor Neylon has admitted that he holds some strong opinions about members of the Travelling community.

“We can see it all on our TV screens every day, the wealth that they have. They are not ashamed about it. It’s not something that they’re hiding,” he said, speaking to the Evening Herald.

Someone should probably tell him that in most cases, the Prada is simply a knock off. Hasn’t he ever heard of fake designer labels?