A mother who is taking legal proceedings against Gemma O'Doherty over the use of an image of her deceased son has launched a GoFundMe page to help fund the action.
Edel Campbell launched High Court proceeding against Ms O'Doherty after an image of her son, Diego Gilsenan, was used in a photo montage in The Irish Light, of which Ms O'Doherty is the publisher.
Mr Gilsenan's was one of 42 images included in the montage, with the paper claiming the deaths of those pictured were linked to the Covid-19 vaccine.
As reported by The Irish Times, Ms Campbell, of Kingscourt, Co Cavan, launched the legal proceedings seeking that Ms O'Doherty cease use of Mr Gilsenan's image.
A statement issued by Ms Campbell's solicitor added that previous requests to Ms O'Doherty to "refrain from the exploitation of her son’s image and tragedy for her own purposes and agenda" were unsuccessful as "all pleas have been ignored".
Ms Gilsenan died by suicide in August 2021.
The GoFundMe page, which was set up on Friday, has a target of €20,000, and had raised over €7,500 at the time of writing, having received 260 donations. The page is not organised by Ms Campbell, but lists her as the beneficiary.
The page states the High Court proceedings were "brought reluctantly by Edel in an attempt to protect her family from the toxicity of Gemma O'Doherty's false and nasty publication".
"Fighting such a case through the High Court is a very costly exercise and this is the reason we are seeking your financial support to enable Edel and her legal team to exhaust every possible avenue to bring Gemma O'Doherty to justice where she has been failed by politicians and Gardaí.
"We want to let Edel know she is not alone and she is very much supported in this battle against hate and negativity," the fundraising page states.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support.
In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.
