Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

There are two issues I want to speak about. The first is the very good news that emerged from Athens a few hours ago on the conviction of the fascist organisation Golden Dawn. The top leaders of that organisation have been convicted of running a criminal organisation. Its members have been convicted of the murder in 2013 of 34-year-old rapper Pavlos Fyssas, a left-wing activist. Golden Dawn has been convicted of the attempted murder of Egyptian fishermen and a brutal assault on communist trade union activists of the All-Workers Militant Front, PAME. I pay tribute to the anti-fascist lawyers involved and, in particular, the broader anti-fascist movement that drove this process. It was not driven by the capitalist state; it was driven from below by the anti-fascist movement. In fact, the state prosecutor at one stage recommended the acquittal of some of those who have now been convicted. It is a victory for the acquitted and the entire anti-fascist movement. If we consider the brutal violence and horrific stabbing of Pavlos Fyssas by a Golden Dawn activist and read the transcripts of the telephone calls throughout the organisation on the assaults on the communist activists and Egyptian fishermen, we see the threat the far right and fascism pose if they get a foothold in society. It is a warning to all of us in Ireland, where the far right is trying to get a toehold. It poses, even before coming to power, a serious threat in terms of assault and a threat to the lives of migrants, left-wing activists, LGBTQ activists, trade union activists and others. They absolutely have to be stopped. We cannot rely on the State to do so. The infiltration of the police in Greece by Golden Drawn is a striking feature. We must build a mass movement to stop the far right, using the slogan "No paseran", which means “They shall not pass”. We must also build a left-wing political alternative to channel the genuine anger and alienation of people in a correct direction.

My second point is that there is a growing European movement for a Covid tax, a tax on the super-wealthy and the big corporations here and across the rest of Europe. The view is that they must pay the price for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as opposed to hitting ordinary people with austerity. It is a proposal for four sorts of taxes: the first on the assets of investment funds and holding companies; the second on property transfers; the third on net corporate profits exceeding €5 million; and the fourth on wealth. It is vital that we make the rich pay for this crisis as opposed to ordinary people.

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