'Anger and empathy erased my ability to apply ethics' says Londonderry councillor suspended after online comments could have exposed people to risk
A Londonderry councillor suspended after her online comments about animal cruelty could have exposed unconnected people to risk has claimed “anger and empathy erased [her] ability to apply ethics”.
Former SDLP politician turned independent Shauna Cusack has been sanctioned by the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards for bringing her position as councillor into disrepute.
In a statement announcing her suspension for one month, the commissioner stated the politician had publicly posted “information she should reasonably have known to be confidential” on social media, which could have created “risk to individuals who had no connection to the alleged animal cruelty incident that councillor Cusack was posting about”.
Her one-month suspension from politics will begin when a written judgement is published in the near future, and follows an adjudication hearing held last week.
The Foyleside politician, who has been a councillor since 2013, claimed the confidential information she published was already public knowledge, the commissioner stated.
An adjudicating official accepted that as a political representative, Ms Cusack has “an enhanced right to comment on an issue of alleged animal cruelty”, noting issues of animal welfare and justice are matters of public importance, as is “the expectation of a fair and impartial police investigation”.
Stated the commissioner: “He did not accept that this right enabled her to disclose the information relating to others who had no involvement in the alleged incident.
“In his view, the councillor ought to have raised her concerns in a more measured and neutral way, and one which avoided potentially placing individuals at risk and contributing to an already hostile online commentary.”
The official decided Ms Cusack had broken parts of a councillor’s code of conduct relating to confidentiality and bringing the position into disrepute, and imposed a one-month suspension.
The investigation was launched after a member of the public alleged she had put individuals at risk through her post, the commissioner stated.
Reacting to her suspension, Ms Cusack maintained her problem post “voiced serious and genuine concerns regarding an animal cruelty issue”.
Addressing her constituents in another social media post, she stated: “You all know how much I love our beautiful, ‘superior’ creatures and my anger and empathy erased my ability to apply ethics.
“It’s little known that some elected reps do not really have ‘freedom of speech’. We have to be measured in what we say as well as what we do, regardless of the circumstances, because if someone complains you are, or should be, accountable.
“A costly post for me, but when it comes to animal welfare issues I will continue to raise my voice, albeit with the knowledge that sometimes the bad guy wins. Still here for help, advice and a bit of craic folks.”
A long-time member of the SDLP, she was one of two councillors to quit the party in 2024 during a row over its pick for Londonderry mayor.
The SDLP selected Lilian Seenoi-Barr for the post, making her Northern Ireland’s first black mayor – but she was chosen by a committee instead of an open vote of local party members, a move that pushed Ms Cusack and another councillor to resign and sit as independents.