Irish Councillor Gavin Pepper has demanded “a bit of common sense” from the government after a state-backed PSA urged grandparents to seek consent before hugging grandchildren.
The 25-second ad, released by We-Consent — a project of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre funded by Ireland’s Department of Justice and Department of Children, Disability and Equality — opens with a blunt declaration: “Not everyone wants a hug. Even from the people who love them.” The video shows one grandchild embracing grandparents warmly while another child visibly recoils as elders lean in. “Awkward? Maybe. Important? Absolutely,” the campaign adds.
Pepper, a Dublin-area councillor, unloaded on Facebook alongside the clip. “Of course children should be taught about boundaries and nobody should ever be forced into physical contact they don’t want,” he wrote. “But we also need a bit of common sense.”
He described the bond between grandparents and grandkids as “one of the most important bonds in Irish family life,” adding that “a hug from a loving grandparent should not be presented as something strange or suspicious.” Pepper accused the government of “talking constantly about changing traditions” and warned that “there comes a point where people are entitled to say: leave some things alone.” “Irish culture, family and traditions matter,” he continued.
The councillor doubled down on supporting boundary education for children — but begged to “bring some common sense back into the conversation as well.”
The ad has exploded across social media with reactions ranging from disbelief to fury. “The government need to answer for this. It’s bonkers,” one user wrote. “I’m sorry, but this just seems absolutely ridiculous. This is not how taxpayers’ money should be spent. What next? A campaign to tell us that not everyone wants to be offered a cup of tea?,” another slammed. A third piled on: “This is actually both the saddest and most enraging thing I have seen for a long time. I mean WTAF? One of the most precious relationships is grandparents and grandchildren. HOW did this get signed off?”
Not all politicians joined the pile-on. Irish Councillor Lorraine Hall defended the campaign on X, writing she’s “embarrassed for all the people that think that this is a literal rather than a figurative message…and have forgotten that advertising creativity is a thing,” She added: “Oh yes…and also to state the obvious – advertising does work.”
The spot does not currently appear on any of We-Consent’s official online platforms, and it remains unclear when or if the organization removed it. We-Consent describes itself as a long-term national program aiming to inform, educate and engage all members of society about consent.
The controversy lands amid ongoing culture clashes in Ireland over government-backed social campaigns. Pepper’s broadside targeted both “Government and NGOs” for “losing the run of ourselves,” tapping into a recurring grievance among conservative-leaning commentators that state-funded initiatives increasingly police ordinary family interactions.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and We-Consent had not returned requests for comment at time of reporting.