Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [4391/25]

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [4450/25]

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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25. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [4536/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [7611/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [9491/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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28. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [9494/25]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [12018/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the commemoration for the liberation of Auschwitz. [12371/25]

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 30, inclusive, together.

On Monday, 27 January, I joined other world leaders at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to commemorate international Holocaust remembrance day. It was a day where we remembered the unique horrors of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews from across Europe were murdered in Nazi death camps. The commemoration was probably the last significant one at which survivors of Auschwitz were able to recount first hand the horrors of what happened to them and other concentration camp inmates. We remembered also the Roma, the disabled, the political dissidents, the members of the LGBTQ community and all who were persecuted and murdered without mercy in the camps. We owe it to them to ensure that now, and for all generations to come, we remember and say “Never again.”

In 2025, Ireland will contribute €50,000 to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to support the preservation of the site and a history that should never be forgotten. My Government remains committed to denouncing and combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism and xenophobia. In recent years, we have witnessed a shocking rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial, both online and offline. I take this issue very seriously and the Government will continue to work at home and with international partners to tackle all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism. I condemn outright the recent incident of antisemitism witnessed in Dublin. This is entirely unacceptable and completely incompatible with what this country and its people stand for.

In this spirit, we recently endorsed the global guidelines for countering antisemitism and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. We will also continue our close relationship with the Jewish community in Ireland and ensure that their concerns are heard.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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During the commemoration, survivors expressed deep concern over the resurgence of antisemitism and the rise of radical ideologies worldwide. Leon Weintraub, a 99-year-old survivor, highlighted that such ideologies preach hostility and hatred towards others, defining racism, antisemitism and homophobia as virtues. In light of these alarming trends, how does the Government plan to strengthen and implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism within Ireland to effectively combat and prevent such hatred in our society?

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Auschwitz is a reminder of an extreme racism that allows the categorisation of whole populations of people, who become dehumanised and are then exterminated. I have not been to Auschwitz but my family have been there and they said it is a very sombre event. We need to remember not just the Jewish 6 million who were killed but also the gypsies, the disabled and many other categories of people who were exterminated by the Nazis. It is extremely important that Ireland has announced its endorsement of the global guidelines for countering antisemitism and has agreed to that definition. It is important to remember racism, antisemitism, fascism and extreme ideology but, at the same time, to retain the right to criticise Israel without being confused as being antisemitic. It is extremely important for Ireland to retain that view. I would appreciate the Taoiseach's view on that.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's recent attendance at the commemoration ceremony for the liberation of Auschwitz. It is particularly important as we see a rise in fascism and authoritarianism worldwide and a terrible rise in antisemitism. It is very important that the Taoiseach attended to represent Ireland. I always attend the commemoration in the Mansion House on national Holocaust memorial day and would urge parliamentarians on both sides of the House to do so. It is a powerful and moving event, which I attended this year on 26 January. I commend the Holocaust Education Ireland organisation that organises it. President Michael D. Higgins spoke at it and made a powerful, moving and sensitive speech.

We in Labour condemn racism and antisemitism. Is the Government going to take action on hate speech legislation, which was parked, shall we say, during the time of the last Government? In the context of the disturbing rise in antisemitism and hate speech worldwide, it would be useful to reconsider that.

On 16 January, the Taoiseach announced Ireland’s endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism. It is acknowledged that there are concerns about aspects of that definition. Did the Taoiseach instead consider the 2021 Jerusalem declaration on antisemitism, which includes a better definition of antisemitism drafted to address some of the concerns with the wording, which linked criticism of Israel with antisemitism. It is important that we have the right to criticise the state involved in bombarding civilians.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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All my active political life, I have been campaigning against antisemitism and racism and campaigning to remind people of the horrors of the Holocaust. When David Irving, the Nazi apologist, came to meetings in this country to deny that the Holocaust ever happened, I was the organiser of the protests against it. I arranged for Jewish Auschwitz survivors to tour this country, to speak on national television and to speak about the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jewish people. It is precisely because we must remember the horror that the Holocaust was, and say "Never again", that we must not put any impediment in the way of calling out other instances of dehumanisation, racism, apartheid and genocide, particularly when those guilty of genocidal crimes, as Israel is now, and in the dock in the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice for genocide and crimes against humanity, are using the memory of the Holocaust to legitimise its crimes against the Palestinians.

In that context, we have the adoption by the Government, without any notification, of the IHRA definition, which it knows is controversial and which says, for example, that it is antisemitic to describe the Israeli state project as a racist state project. It says that in the guidelines. Many Jewish Holocaust survivors have condemned that definition because it is loaded in favour of the state of Israel and yet the Government decided to adopt it without any proper debate about the context.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the comments by Deputy Daly. We can never forget the exceptionalism of the Holocaust. It is important that we mark it and that is why I was determined, as Taoiseach, to visit Auschwitz for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In particular, it may be the last occasion when we hear the voices of actual survivors.

With regard to retaining the right to criticise Israel, that will be retained. There is nothing in the actual guidelines. There was a clause explaining-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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That is not true. You are misleading people.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Deputy stop? I have never interrupt him but he keeps on interrupting. Will he even allow me to finish a sentence? It is not in the guidelines themselves, although there were explanatory clauses. We made it very clear that we retain the right to criticise Israel. The fact of the matter is that fellow, like-minded EU member states signed the IHRA guidelines a long time ago, including Spain, Slovenia and others. Did that impair their capacity to criticise Israel? They joined with us in terms of the recognition of the Palestinian state, for example. It does not stack up. The American guidelines that we signed are important, in my view, because there are attempts out there now to portray us as antisemitic. That needs to be met head-on. We are not, the Government is not and the Oireachtas is not. We have to be assertive in articulating unambiguously our position in regard to antisemitism.

I have met the Jewish community in Dublin. I understand that the war in Gaza and the horrendous attacks in Gaza have created an atmosphere in Ireland. Many in the Jewish community do not feel comfortable-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Many do not feel comfortable with that definition. Why does the Taoiseach not deal with that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Let me finish my point. I am answering the question. It is an important point to state in the House. Many in our Jewish community do not feel comfortable with the atmosphere out there at the moment in going about their daily lives and, more worryingly, do not feel comfortable with outward manifestations of the fact that they are Jewish.

We have to be alert to that. We have to deal with that in our schools to make sure that is not a factor. Many people within our Jewish community have different views, as the Deputy correctly pointed out. Some do not support what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing but we cannot conflate criticism of Israel and what Israel is doing - or blame for what the Government of Israel is doing - with the Jewish community here or elsewhere across Europe. This is important because, historically, we had a very good tradition in this country. In particular, the 1937 Constitution provided for protection for our Jewish community. With regard to my city of Cork and my party, founding members of our party were members of the Jewish community. Robert Briscoe wrote a great book, entitled For the Life of Me, detailing his role in travelling the country forming cumann Fianna Fáil. His son, Deputy Ben Briscoe, sat in this House and both were Lord Mayors of Dublin. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Gerald Goldberg, was a member of our party. Likewise, Mervyn Taylor-----

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Mervyn Taylor-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----was a member of the Labour Party and had a very distinguished career here in terms of equality legislation in particular so there is an honourable and very positive Jewish tradition in Ireland and I think this is something we must protect. It is a small community. That is the context.

In response to Deputy Bacik on hate speech legislation, that Act was amended last year. We just went ahead with the penalty side of it. There was a lot of opposition and resistance in light of what is happening on social media. That was regrettable in my view. The European directives are clear on that. What happened in terms of the legislation last year was to facilitate higher penalties for those convicted of hate speech.

The Holocaust remembrance is excellently organised and has been through the years. It has always been free of controversy and I hope we can get back to that situation and engage with the Jewish community in Ireland in terms of how we properly remember the Holocaust. By and large, our primary and secondary schools have been strong on that down through the years.

Regarding the impact on Europe, Deputy Boyd Barrett referenced other countries' attitudes. Germany has a completely different perspective on the Middle East because of the Holocaust, it seems to me. I think its former Chancellor said that the raison d'être of the German Government was to protect Israel. That is historically how they see it. It is completely different to the atmosphere and views in Ireland and how Ireland would see things. We work and engage to try to change perspectives. Our focus has been on ending the war in Gaza, demanding a comprehensive surge in humanitarian aid, then working on the Arab peace initiative to get peace in Gaza, guaranteeing security for Israel and getting the hostages released.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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As long as German and American weapons flow, the genocide continues.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Boyd Barrett attacked Germany. He has never attacked Hamas. He has never condemned Hamas for 7 October.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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There would be no Hamas if it were not for Israel committing these crimes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have invited the Deputy on a number of occasions to condemn the Hamas attack on 7 October and he has refused every single time. That kind of moral equivalence is reprehensible, to be honest, because what happened on 7 October was reprehensible, and-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Hamas did not exist 25 years ago. Israel has been committing crimes for decades.