Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Those of us on this side of the House will be wholeheartedly supporting the legislation, which is primarily designed to prevent Irish citizens from returning from foreign conflicts and sheltering here. The Bill is based on the EU Council framework decision agreed in 2008 when the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government was in power. We are calling on the current Government to be vigilant with regard to the possible return of combatants claiming Irish citizenship from the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq and to ensure that these individuals are suitable for reintegration into Irish society. This must be done in order to prevent a radicalisation of citizens here.

It is ironic that on several occasions I have called for a debate on the basic protection of, and respect for, the human dignity of Christians in places like Syria and Iraq. Apparently, in such places, to be a Christian, or any other religion than that of the jihadists’ extremist view of their own religion, is a crime. If one does not have their tunnel-vision approach, one is likely to be exterminated. We have seen the appalling beheadings of US, French and English citizens, some of them voluntary aid workers in the region. ISIL is a radical extreme group and whatever needs to be done internationally to stop this uprising must be done.
In some ways, the Bill probably does not go far enough. There should be a united approach to this in Europe. The difficulty is that with a European passport one could have these combatants leaving, say, France or Holland, but coming back to hide away in the Wicklow Mountains or on a remote island off the coast. A prima faciecase can be made that anyone travelling to the conflict zones in Syria or Iraq these times is involved in supporting terrorism. Who would travel there now, unless they are providing aid to victims and those made homeless there? Those who took part in ISIL should be excluded from entry into this country. I hope all other European countries will be as vigilant. The Minister referred to the numbers of Irish foreign fighters being 30 but this is irrelevant. The point of principle is that in this country their religion, as well as other religions be they Jewish, Protestant or Catholic, is protected and they are free to practise it under the Constitution but then they see fit to travel abroad to execute Christians and members of other religions. That is a flagrant breach of that principle.
Fianna Fáil will support this legislation. I hope it is not misinterpreted that this is for some other reason. The reasons are crystal clear and I wish the Bill a speedy passage.