Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ben arrivata, Signora Presidente. You are very welcome, Madam President. Ireland is a nation that stands proudly for the values of democracy, solidarity, equality and human dignity, for freedom. These are values shared and cherished by the peoples of Europe as we strive to shape a bright future for workers, families and communities in a rapidly changing world. They are of course the values that must drive, reform and recast the European project.

I warmly welcome President Metsola today. She visits us when our togetherness and common purpose have never been more important. A year on, Europe remains unified, Ireland also, in our support for the people of Ukraine against Putin's criminal and barbaric invasion. Russia's illegal war and violation of human rights must be stopped and the journey to peace must begin. Putin must withdraw. The Ukrainian people know that they are not alone. They know that Ireland and Europe will stand with them as they continue their struggle for the liberation of their beloved homeland.

Some 25 years ago, European solidarity was crucial in the success of our peace process and today Ireland is grateful for the unwavering support of our European partners in the face of Brexit. Europe has stood foursquare in defence of the protocol, hard-won protections for Ireland's peace, political stability and our all-Ireland economy. I acknowledge the repeated support of the European Parliament for the protocol and President Metsola's own staunch commitment, reiterated here today, to protect Ireland's interests in the midst of the Brexit storm. Sinn Féin supports the current talks between the European Union and Britain to make the protocol work better. We need pragmatic and durable solutions and we need them quickly. The people of the North of Ireland want stability and certainty. They want to see the Executive back up and running to deliver for them and their families under the leadership of our colleague, Ms Michelle O'Neill MLA, First Minister designate, who joins us today. We need to see an end to the DUP boycott of the political institutions in the North of Ireland. It has been reported that the mood music from the latest protocol talks is positive. That is most welcome. A fair and practical outcome to these negotiations must be delivered and the time for solutions is now.

One of the surest ways of creating change in the world is by speaking honestly with our friends. It is time for the European Union and indeed the wider international community to act forcefully for peace in the Middle East, for an end to Israel's brutalisation of the Palestinians, for an end to the Israeli apartheid regime, a regime that sees annexation and illegal settlements, collective punishment, and the violent targeting of refugees and the dispossessed. In Israeli aggression, Palestinian reprisal, and innocent lives lost in Jenin refugee camp, in Gaza, in synagogues, we see the bitter fruit of the policies of a right-wing, hawkish government. President Metsola rightly reflected earlier on Ireland's colonial experience that shapes our world view. It is in that spirit that I say to her that it is wrong that Israel continues to enjoy a special partnership with the European Union while it tramples on the human rights of Palestinians----

See this speech in context