The Foreign Affairs Minister says social media companies need to do more to tackle Covid 19 conspiracy theories.
Simon Coveney was responding to this weekend’s violent demonstrations in Dublin which he described as thuggery.
There are concerns further far-right protests are being planned for St Patrick’s Day.
Some Facebook pages which help to spread misinformation have grown in membership by 90% since the summer.
Minister Coveney says social media sites need to take responsibility for spreading conspiracy theories.
"These are extraordinarily powerful organisations which make huge sums of money.
"They're welcome in Ireland, and we provide a platform for global reach in many ways for many of these platforms.
"But they do have a responsibility as well, and government needs to work with them to make sure they are following through on that responsibility."
