Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Tearing children away from their parents and incarcerating them in cages is, as we all understand, barbaric and beyond the Pale. It crosses every line of human rights and civilised behaviour imaginable. What will we do about a president like Trump who is willing to do this to children and then defend it? Like me, the Tánaiste probably heard spokespeople on the radio defending Trump's actions, blaming the parents and saying that, although it was unfortunate, it had to be done to deter these terrible people from entering the United States illegally. It was shocking. When people's morality or values get twisted to the point of being willing to justify this kind of abuse against children, they are crossing normal lines.

This is not just a polite difference of political opinion. Something has to be done about it. Words of condemnation are welcome but, frankly, we know that they mean nothing to Trump. Trump is completely immune to criticism. He is willing to go to any length. It does not bother him in the least that his racist policies directed against immigrants - Muslims, Mexicans and so on - have stoked up the fascist far right in the United States and across the world. I watched a programme on Netflix during the week where the neo-Nazis who organised the Charlottesville horrors said openly that Trump had given them a new confidence to organise on a national scale and had given credibility to their neo-Nazi ideas. They are delighted with him. When we start making comparisons with the 1930s, it is not left-wing scaremongering. It is the reality, and one that is developing across Europe. The far right in Europe is encouraged by the sorts of action that Trump is taking.

There is a point at which normal diplomatic discourse, debate, niceties and politeness do not work and one must take a stand. Those of us who oppose racism, the far right, fascism and this barbaric treatment of children must say that we will do something about it because what we are facing in this instance is different. We must confront that point. It is fantastic that, notwithstanding all of our political differences, no political party in this Parliament has gone down the race road or played the race card, but let us go further and do something about this. That something is to make it clear that President Trump and people who are a party to this barbaric policy are not welcome in our country while they continue with that policy.

The Taoiseach said that we had to engage, as if this was a case of normal political differences. It is not. Frankly, what he said smacked of double standards. I have asked the Tánaiste to meet the elected representatives in Gaza, but he will not do it. What have they done that Trump has not? In fact, what Trump is doing is worse, but as far as the Tánaiste and Taoiseach are concerned, it is okay to boycott the elected representatives of the Parliament in Gaza. The Tánaiste will say that it is a difficult and complicated situation, mention Israel and so on. He can give all the reasons he likes, but the Government is treating them differently from how it is treating Trump even though what he is doing is far worse and more dangerous. Despite that, we continue to extend the normal diplomatic niceties to a person who is doing these barbaric and horrific things to young people and who is stirring up the most dangerous political forces that we have seen since the horrors of the 1930s and all that followed from them.

I am saying in all seriousness that this is different and, therefore, actions must follow. We should withdraw the invitation to Trump and consider other actions that would have an impact and make it clear that this is not just a polite difference of opinion, but that we are horrified and unwilling to stand idly by while these horrific, racist policies directed at immigrants, most of all children, are allowed by the international community to continue.

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