Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

They will not be in the room. That is great. Steve Bannon from the so-called alt-right, who is trying to rebrand racism and make it more palatable, is homophobic and believes in a hierarchy of races, genders and religions. He is the most anti-woman person one could ever meet. He believes that every telegraph pole in the south should be festooned with a Confederate flag. These are the people Donald Trump appointed. He also endorsed candidates who wanted to expel Muslims completely from America, so the idea that he will not pursue the Muslim ban is erroneous.

I wish to remind Deputies that there are Irish Muslims as well. Some people are probably not aware of it, but we have a large Irish Muslim community. I met a group of Muslims on Friday night. There is a large concentration of Muslims in the Dublin Mid-West and Dublin West constituencies. Many of them are dual citizens. I was asked about this issue. Although we are hearing that it is okay to travel with an Irish passport, the reality is that, if a person has brown skin, is a Muslim and arrives at an airport, he or she will fall prey to being treated badly. Reassurance on this matter has been given for now, but the US will want to extend its measure. We should take on board the fact that there are approximately 60,000 Muslims in Ireland.

The Government often argues that it will make a statement, but the best way to make a statement is by depriving Trump of a PR job on 17 March and of the chance to gain kudos among the Irish community in the US. That is the strongest statement. The Taoiseach was humiliated in the Dáil yesterday when he changed his story several times. I would not trust his ability to handle Donald Trump and escape unscathed.

What are Americans who oppose Trump doing? When Betsy DeVos visits a school now, students walk out and parents picket. That is how they protest. They would welcome a prime minister of any country showing solidarity by doing the same and refusing to visit the White House. It would be hypocritical of the Government to send the Taoiseach, particularly in light of our history of migration.

The Dáil should be taking decisions on this matter. We should not be having vacuous statements that end in nothing.

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