Sinn Féin must explain their connections to Serbia where Facebook pages & advertisements are managed

Sinn Féin has questions to answer over its connections to Serbia where some of the party’s Facebook advertisement pages are being managed, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Waterford Senator John Cummins said revelations that some of Sinn Féin’s Facebook advertisements are being managed by individuals or agencies in Serbia and Germany undermines the party’s credibility and lays bare its questionable practices once again.

It also leaves serious questions as to why a publicly funded party, which brands itself as a united Ireland party, is allowing people based in Serbia dictate how money is spent online on some of the party’ most senior representatives.

Sinn Féin must state if these individuals or organisations have any involvement in running or building advertisements on behalf of those pages. Facebook’s policies are clear that ads must be created and run in the country they intend to target. Funding for advertising most also originate from the country the advertisements will be placed.

Serbia’s official currency is the Dinar, which calls into question if Sinn Féin’s practices adhere to Facebook’s own advertising policies. The same questions arise for Sinn Féin’s North of Ireland based Facebook pages being managed by countries that use Euro or Dinar currencies.

Senator Cummins said: “The main Sinn Féin Ireland page is managed by numerous administrators including two based in Serbia and one in Germany. Data from Sinn Féin’s Facebook ad library shows 26 out of 37 of its Dáil representatives have a German-based Facebook administrator.

“The party’s attempts to fundraise outside of the State and take out expensive adverts to further its political cause have already been exposed and this latest revelation raises a number of questions that the party must now answer.

“The Irish public deserves to know why the party’s Facebook pages are being controlled by forces outside of the State and what relationship does Sinn Féin, its candidates, or its officials have with Germany or Serbia?.”

Senator Cummins will be asking Facebook representatives about this issue at the Joint Oireachtas Committee Housing, Local Government and Heritage tomorrow (Tuesday) where electoral reform is being discussed.

He continued: “Why is it necessary that party leader Deputy Mary Lou McDonald has a Facebook account which is also managed in Germany? Why is the page of Northern leader, Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill overseen by someone in Serbia?

““The party must also outline how these services are paid for. As they are outside the State, it is impossible for a regulatory body in Ireland to monitor this aspect of their digital operation, both from the perspective of the direct advertising media spend and any associated fees.

“Two key questions are how long have these connections with Serbia and Germany been in place and has this spend has been declared in Sinn Féin’s Exchequer and/or Election returns? If not, this represents a potentially very significant breach. It also begs the question of where the funding comes from to sustain this operation?

“I would also like the party leadership to name these organisations and describe the role they play when administrating the pages that Sinn Féin is attached to.

“Sinn Fein opponents and ordinary people who disagree with its politics are already aware of the powerful beast that is the party’s social media operation. But these newly discovered links to Serbia and Germany beg the question as to whether foreign entities dictate the party’s digital strategy, or any wider strategy, adhered to by Sinn Féin.

“Sinn Féin claims to be a party that champions Irish working people. Yet it appears to be employing the services of organisations outside of the State that is potentially worth a considerable sum based on the number of pages being administered. So why is Sinn Féin not supporting Irish jobs by commissioning this online work here?

“On March 11 last, party leader Mary Lou McDonald on Newstalk radio claimed that ‘to be a member of Sinn Féin, you have to live in Ireland.’

“Yet this latest episode proves that members may have to be Irish residents, but they certainly don’t have to be resident in Ireland when it comes to spending public donations to garner support.

“We have already seen how the party’s Irish operation paid for Facebook advertisements to promote a party event in Belfast and for advertising to promote politicians running in Westminster elections, with these payments subsequently reported to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo).

“There are long-held concerns about Sinn Féin’s lack of transparency when it comes to finances and shadowy figures who control the party behind the scenes.

“Now the party must explain its connections to individuals or agencies in Serbia and Germany and tell us who exactly is managing its digital strategy and online ads,” Senator Cummins concluded.