David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of my colleagues in the Sinn Féin Party, I warmly welcome Senator Máiría Cahill to the Seanad. I wish her very well and every success. I acknowledge the presence of her family and friends in the Gallery. Like previous speakers, I think it is appropriate to remember the former Senator Jimmy Harte and to wish him every success in his recovery. It has to be said that I had some fiery exchanges with Jimmy here in the Seanad, but he was still a good friend and a good colleague. I hope he continues to recover. I welcome his daughter to the Gallery.

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I express my sincerest sympathies to all of those who lost their lives in Paris when brutal acts of terror were carried out by the people who were responsible for those attacks. As somebody said, we do not have to be neutral on these issues. We can be a neutral country, but that does not mean we cannot act or show support or solidarity to those who lost their lives in these tragic attacks.We must look at what being neutral means but it does not mean staying silent on issues like this. I am also heartened to see that various Islamic organisations in Ireland have spoken out very clearly and condemned these attacks. It is very important for us to focus on that because there have been a number of attacks on Muslims in recent days. A Muslim family in the North was attacked yesterday which should be condemned utterly. There is no place whatsoever for such attacks. As other Senators have said, we are in a republic and we should be tolerant of the faith of all people here. I am very heartened by the very strong condemnation which has come from all the Islamic organisations which have distanced themselves from these acts of brutality which were carried out by people who are twisted and who have a twisted ideology. It is to be hoped we can have more comprehensive statements on these issues in Seanad Éireann in the coming days or weeks and I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange such a debate. It is important we focus on what is causing these problems and what the solutions might be.