Bondi Beach massacre: Irish government guilty of same 'toxic rhetoric' as Australian, says ex-Irish minister Alan Shatter
The Irish government is guilty of the same “unbalanced and toxic rhetoric” on Israel as the Australian government, a former Irish Cabinet minister has said.
Former Jewish TD Alan Shatter was speaking as he offered his condolences to “all families bereaved by the shocking antisemitic atrocity on Bondi Beach”.
“As a former Justice & Defence minister I want to be absolutely clear,” he said. “Like the Australian government, the Irish government’s unbalanced toxic rhetoric and conduct relating to Israel/Gaza has contributed to escalating antisemitism in Ireland. Both the Taoiseach and Tanaiste are directly complicit.
"Toxic debates in our parliament, protests on our streets, the conduct of political parties, trade unions, university boards, the IPSC (Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign) have normalised antisemitic rhetoric and antisemitism. Irish sport is increasingly contaminated and Jewish children feel intimidated in our schools. Unprecedented security is required at the location of Irish Jewish institutions.
"Recently the Taoiseach criticised what he depicted as a ‘perception of antisemitism in Ireland’. But in doing so, Mr Shatter claimed, he “chose to ignore the antisemitism in which the campaign is firmly rooted” and also validated RTE’s withdrawal from Eurovision in protest at Israel’s inclusion.
He added that the Irish programme for government adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in January but “nothing has been done to implement it”.
Calls to “globalise the intifada” and have been “normalised” on Irish streets, he said, but the Bondi Beach massacre “is what that looks like” in practise.