Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Chathaoirligh Gníomhaigh, for the opportunity to speak on this motion. I thank the Independent Group for bringing it forward.

The issue of neutrality is one which Irish people hold incredibly dear. The policy has served us well. It has allowed us to have an objective and even-handed approach to international conflicts. This approach allows us to play a leading role in the pursuit of justice, equality and peace on the international stage. It is this neutral and objective analysis of conflict that has allowed us to maintain a broad perspective, especially in respect of persecution and oppression and the pursuit of humanitarianism.

It is precisely because of this that we need to make sure that we match these aspirations and that workers are protected when they express revulsion at persecution and oppression. I reiterate my concern about recent reports of the alleged dismissal of a worker for comments they made on social media criticising the actions of the Israeli state. I am also extremely concerned about the possibility of workers being censured in their workplaces for expressing views online, outside of their workplaces, on the conflict in the Middle East in a manner that is non-discriminatory, not meant to cause offence and neither Islamophobic nor anti-Semitic. It would be remiss of me not to add that concerns about attempts at censure relate to workers expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. It must also be stated and reinforced that criticism of the actions of the Israeli state and army is not anti-Semitic. While workers can take unfair dismissals cases to the Workplace Relations Commission, there are no mechanisms within the current industrial relations machinery to preclude employers from attempting to censure workers for legitimate, non-discriminatory political views expressed outside of the workplace. This leaves workers in a vulnerable position. Reports of workers being coerced into supporting a pro-Israeli stance in their utterances on social media by their employer are also deeply disturbing and go against our position of neutrality.

I have brought these matters to the attention of the Minister as they constitute a very worrying development, especially when we look across Europe, where there are numerous reports of workers being reprimanded for expressing support for the Palestinian people. It is not enough for us just to aspire; if we are to fulfil all the prospects our neutrality affords us, we have to be fit to protect workers in their workplaces in expressing such views.

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