Lord Mayor of Cork, Joe Kavanagh, has said a remark he made suggesting that “all lives matter” while introducing an event commemorating the anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass were “completely misinterpreted”. Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh was introducing an event organised by the Cork Migrant Centre in honour of Mr Douglass entitled '18th Century to 21st Century Cork' when he said that, in his opinion, “all lives matter”. A number of people attending the virtual online event expressed shock at the comment. 'I think [the Lord Mayor's] comments were coming from a good place,' said Dr Naomi Masheti of Cork Migrant Centre. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Kavanagh said that he had been “completely and utterly misinterpreted”:I fully support Black Lives Matter.

Source: Irish Examiner February 12, 2021 06:30 UTC