Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch says same word 17 times in odd election call-out video

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is encouraging the public to register to vote, saying those who fail to do so “don’t have a voice.”

Following on from the launch of his byelection campaign for Dublin Central, the convicted criminal released a video on social media claiming the current government hope people do not register. He said this is because they “want to keep you ignorant.”

Mr Hutch said the word register/registered 17 times throughout the course of the 1-minute and 49-second clip. 

The 62-year-old, who is currently on bail for alleged money laundering offences in Spain, contested the 2024 General Election where he secured over 3,000 votes. He was close to winning a seat but was eventually beaten by Labour candidate Marie Sherlock. 

In the video, Hutch shared a snippet of a conversation he had with an unnamed politician. The Dublin man told this person that he was relying on “people in the community” to vote for him, with the reply being, “They don’t vote.” ‘The Monk’ then declared, “We’ve plenty of time to register now.”

READ MORE: Aer Lingus introduces major rule change for UK travel as Irish passengers issued warning

The byelection is set to take place this coming May to fill the empty seat left by Paschal Donohoe who resigned in November. He left to take up a new post at World Bank in the US. 

In the short video posted on Tuesday night, Mr Hutch stated: “Hello folks. The election is coming up soon. You matter. Make sure you register to vote. I've been through an election already and a lot of people weren't registered to vote. I was talking to other politicians in the area when I was running and they said, ‘What vote are you expecting to get?’ and I said, ‘The people in the community.’ He said, ‘They don't vote.’ I said, ‘They probably don't vote because there's no one to vote for.’ I said, ‘Let's see what happens.’ So I did, I got over 3000 votes but it was a bit late for some people to register. 

“We’ve plenty of time to register now. So, youse all matter. If you want change in your area, register. That's number one. Help your grandmother, help your mother, help your auntie, your uncle if they are not able to use computers. The kids today can do it on the phone. Just register. You don't have to vote for me but register and that's part one. When the election comes up, then it's your choice. You can vote for any TD, up and coming, in the constituency, it's your choice but please register and make sure you're registered.

“If you don't register, you don't have a voice and obviously remember, the present government don't want you to register. You know you don't have to register to pay VAT. You know you don't have to register if you get called on a jury service but they want you to register because they hope you don't register. They want to keep you ignorant. Register and do it now. It'll be for your best and it’ll be for your children and your grandchildren. Get the habit of registering. Go on. I look forward to you,” he concluded.