Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Norris on taking the initiative. I am very happy to second his motion. This is a stunning situation. The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, IPSC, is 15 years in existence and it has had a bank account in the Bank of Ireland for all of those years, during which time there was no problem. The group is immensely respected by all of us in these Houses who care about the plight of the Palestinian people. I am the secretary of the Oireachtas Friends of Palestine group and we testify to the integrity and decency of everybody involved in the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and their adherence to human rights and democracy. That is why I am shocked about this development. What I have learned is that the Bank of Ireland is not unique. Banks right across Europe have been closing down Palestine solidarity campaigns. The Oireachtas Friends of Palestine group wrote to the bank asking for an explanation. As Senator Norris pointed out, the bank rhymed off a list of regulations. We again asked for the specific legislation or directive to which Bank of Ireland was adhering in closing down the account. At that point the bank ended the communication on the pretext that it could not discuss individual accounts. That is utter nonsense. Bank of Ireland received a significant amount of taxpayers' money and it is acting completely against the interests of the overwhelming majority of Irish people who support the cause of justice for the Palestinian people.

What I hope will come from this motion today is not just condemnation of the Bank of Ireland but that serious questions will be put to the bank by the Minister for Finance and the Government as to whether it is acting on foot a campaign which is being orchestrated openly by the Israeli Government to shut down organisations internationally who support the democratic campaign, Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, BDS. We had courageous people in this country who took a stand against apartheid – the workers in Dunnes Stores. We applaud them. These days we salute them. It is the democratic right of citizens in this country if they wish to engage in and support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign that operates internationally. Is the IPSC being punished?

We received from the IPSC clarification that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said the rights of citizens across Europe and globally who partake in the BDS campaign have a right to do so and their rights must be protected. I urge the Government to follow up on what I hope will be a successful motion passed in these Houses today and make sure that the Bank of Ireland, and all banks in this State - especially those who were bailed out by taxpayers - are aware of their responsibilities to protect democracy and those who engage in human rights defence and to make sure they are not implementing the policy of a state that is repudiated by most countries in the world because of its failure to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions. Let us be very clear, we do not just need the motion to be passed today, although I am delighted Senator Norris has taken this initiative, but we need the Government to make a clear statement that what has happened does not comply with any legislation or directive of which we are aware but it is implementing by stealth the agenda of the Israeli Government, which is to silence critics of its policy and those who stand by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign. It is an outrageous attack on democracy and it cannot be accepted by anybody in these Houses or by anybody who believes in human rights in this State. I hope the Government follows up on what I believe will be a successful motion here today, does what is right by the people and confronts those in the banks who are peddling this agenda.