Ireland must not be intimidated by Britain's stance on Palestine

A poster for Catherine Connolly, the frontrunner in Ireland’s presidential race. (David Cronin)

Right-wing politicians in Ireland have been offered sage advice on how to handle an opponent: “Smear the bejaysus out of her.”

The advice came from Ivan Yates, a former lawmaker who now fancies himself as a shock jock.

Yates has recommended that Fine Gael, the party he used to represent, should make baseless allegations against Catherine Connolly, the frontrunner in a presidential election campaign. Fine Gael, according to Yates, should not hold back from asking if Connolly is a “Russian asset” and from alleging that she will damage Ireland’s standing internationally if she wins the 24 October vote.

Although Yates is not participating formally in the campaign, his “smear the bejaysus” approach reflects the tactics actually being used against Connolly. Heather Humphreys, Fine Gael’s candidate in the presidential race, last weekend claimed that Connolly had “managed to insult our allies,” adding “that doesn’t go without consequences.”

The supposedly grave insults to which Humphreys referred were criticisms that Connolly had made of Germany’s increased militarization and Britain’s policies on Palestine.

During September, Connolly was asked on a BBC Radio Ulster program about how Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, was insisting that Hamas would have no government role. “I don’t think Keir Starmer should have any say about Hamas,” Connolly replied, arguing that Palestinians “must decide, in a democratic way, who they want to lead their country.”

Such comments are entirely reasonable and should not be controversial in a nominally independent Ireland. The way they are being portrayed as an affront to “our nearest neighbor” – as Humphreys put it – indicates that the political establishment still has not decolonized its mindset.

Deference is mandatory in Dublin.

Because she champions Irish neutrality and refuses to be subservient, the ruling class deems Connolly as unacceptably disrespectful to the grandees of London, Washington, Brussels and Berlin.

Connolly’s desire to remain outside NATO chimes with public opinion. The political establishment, however, likes to depict anyone who voices reservations about the West’s belligerence as a stooge of the Kremlin.

Stand up to Starmer

Deference is even more obligatory in the north of Ireland.

A partition engineered in the 1920s means that the north is still subject to British laws more than a century later. They include the absurd ban imposed on Palestine Action, a group which has smashed up facilities used by or linked to Israel’s weapons industry and the genocide from which it has profited.

Catherine Hutton, an activist in the northwestern Irish city of Derry, is among those being harassed by the authorities for insufficient deference. She recently received a letter from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which says she is suspected of committing an offense under Britain’s Terrorism Act.

The only evidence cited for the alleged offense is that Hutton had been identified as chanting the words “Palestine Action” at a demonstration outside Derry’s Guildhall in August. A video of the incident shows that Hutton did not instigate the chant but joined in when other protesters shouted “Palestine Action.”

While Hutton has not been arrested, the PSNI letter contains an implicit threat that she could be. Hutton’s lawyer has informed the PSNI that she will not be attending an “interview” with its officers, citing a court case in which Huda Ammori, a founder of Palestine Action, is challenging the ban on the organization.

Britain is a direct participant in the Gaza genocide.

The Royal Air Force has regularly operated reconnaissance flights over Gaza, almost certainly providing Israel with “intelligence.” The British firm BAE Systems is a big player in the consortium making F-35s, warplanes used to kill Palestinians.

Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak, his predecessor as prime minister, have both approved of Israel’s state violence over the past two years.

Both of them gave a green light to genocide. Palestine Action, on the other hand, tried to stop that genocide.

Just as Keir Starmer has no business dictating to Palestinians, he and his government colleagues have no business telling the Irish what they can and cannot say.

Standing up to Starmer should be considered a duty for Irish politicians from both the north and the south – not grounds for vicious smears.

Comments

Corrupted - Maybe??? Intimidated - Not Likely!!!

Permalink Elwood Groves II replied on Thu, 10/16/2025 - 16:12

Corrupted, perhaps, that is always possible, but intimidated ???, not likely!!! These are Irish that we're talking about! I cannot even imagine what an "intimidated Irishman" would look like, not having ever seen one in this world. And Ulster doesn't count, as it was overrun by the Scots in the 17th & 18th centuries & became a British colony. As you know, "Great Britain" never saw a country that it didn't want to "colonize". Anyway, thanks for the warning!!! Great article!!!

The election

Permalink Patrick Byrne replied on Thu, 10/16/2025 - 23:45

The main stream media in ireland will do their best to smear her as they cannot allow a real socialist win. Most of the smears are taken out of context but never explained by our pliant media. The attack is typical of politics these days. Hopefully she will win and win well. she is definitley getting my vote

smears only discredit the source

Permalink tom hall replied on Sun, 10/19/2025 - 12:15

Thanks for this report. Catherine Connolly will win because she represents the view held by most Irish people that the country's neutrality should be restored and that Palestinians deserve to be free. It is expected that she will prove a worthy successor to the highly popular and greatly respected President Michael D. Higgins.

As for Ivan Yates' musings, I once attended a vote count at which Yates was deemed elected to the Dail. As his campaign team struggled to hoist the man onto their shoulders in traditional fashion (he really is enormous) a wag was heard to observe, "He's some load, isn't he?"

And he still is.