Martin Daly: Calls for Auschwitz remembrance, defends right to criticise Israel

Auschwitz is a reminder of when extreme racism allows the categorisation of whole populations of people who become dehumanised and then are exterminated. I haven't been to Auschwitz, but my family have been, and said it's a very sombre event. We need to remember not just the Jewish six million who were killed there, but also the gypsies, the disabled, and many other categories of people who were exterminated by the Nazis. I think it is extremely important that Ireland has announced its endorsement of the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, and has agreed to that definition. We need to, and what I'd like to ask the Taoiseach, is it is important, I think, to remember racism anti-Semitism, fascism, and extreme ideology, but at the same time retain the right to criticise Israel without being confused with being anti-Semitic, and I think it's extremely important for Ireland to retain that view. I'd appreciate the Taoiseach's view on that. Thank you, Deputy. At the outset, first of all, I appreciate the comments made by Deputy Daly. We can never forget the exceptionalism of the Holocaust. And it is important that we mark it, and that's why I was determined as Taoiseach to visit Auschwitz, in terms of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in particular to hear probably the last occasion where we may hear the voices of actual surviving members. And I think in terms of the retaining the right to criticise Israel, that it will be retained. There's nothing in the actual guidelines. There was a clause explaining. Sorry, I can't, Deputy. Would you stop? I've never interrupted you. But you keep on interrupting, even though we finish the sentence through the chair. But there's not in the guidelines themselves. There was explanatory clauses. We made it very clear that we retained the right to criticise Israel. And the fact of the matter is, fellow like-minded EU member states to Ireland have signed the IHRA guidance a long time ago. Spain and others, Slovenia, did that impair their capacity to criticise Israel? They joined with us in terms of the recognition of the Palestinian state, for example. And so on. So it doesn't stack up. And also the American guidelines which we signed, in my view, are important. Because there are attempts out there to portray us now as anti-Semitic. That needs to be made head on. We're not. The government isn't. The Iraqis isn't. And we have to be assertive in articulating unambiguously our position in relation to anti-Semitism. And whether we like it or not, I've met with the Jewish community in Dublin. And I understand, obviously, the war on Gaza, the horrendous attacks on Gaza, and so on, has created an atmosphere in Ireland. Many of the Jewish community do not feel comfortable. Yeah. Many. Many don't feel comfortable with that. In many cases. I just... Again, you're... Would you finish my point? I'm answering the question. I think it's an important point to state in the House. Many in our Jewish community do not feel comfortable in terms of the atmosphere out there at the moment in terms of them going about their daily lives, more worryingly about them being comfortable with outward manifestations of the fact that they're Jewish. We have to be alert to that. We have to deal with that in our schools to make sure that's not a factor for the Czechos. Many people within our Jewish community have different views, as you correctly point out. Some do not support what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing, but we cannot conflate criticism of Israel and what Israel is doing, or blame either what the government of Israel is doing with our Jewish community here or elsewhere across Europe, and so on, because... And that's important, because historically, we had a very good tradition in this country. The 1937 Constitution, in particular, provided for protection for our Jewish community and reference to it. And then my own city of Cork, you know, in our own party, founding members of our party were members of the Jewish community, Robert Briscoe, wrote a great book about For the Life of Me, detailing his role in travelling the country and forming branches of Fianna Fáil, a common in Fianna Fáil, and his son, Deputy Ben Briscoe, sat in this House. Both were Lord Mayors of Dublin, Lord Mayor of Cork, Gerald Goldberg, was a member of our own party. And like was the, well, Mervyn Taylor, with the Irish Labour Party, had a very distinguished career here in terms of legislation, equality legislation in particular. So there is an honourable, very positive Jewish tradition in Ireland, and I think that's something we must protect, it's a small community, and that's the context. Just, I think that's something we understand. Oh, live. And of course. 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