Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join other Senators in wishing Mr. Martin Groves well in his new role following his well-deserved appointment. He has always worked extremely hard for everyone in this House. I wish him well in the future and look forward to working with him.

I join others in condemning what has happened in the US over the past seven to ten days. I do not think it is the way forward for a peaceful world. A great deal of progress has been made over the past 50 years. Approximately 63 million people were killed in wars during the first 50 years of the last century. We seem to have forgotten quickly that horrendous atrocities occurred during that period. I accept that atrocities are occurring in the Middle East and in other places. We need to work together at this time to make sure there is peace. We should try to make progress with peaceful solutions to conflicts. I do not think that is being helped by what is happening in the US. Like Senator Lawless, I know people in the US who have worked with the UN and have retained the passports of their countries of origin.They are now worried about their position. They worked for 15, 20 or 25 years and are now retired. They are concerned about their future in the United States. Some of them are married to Irish people.

The US President referred to the threat to people living in the United States. I have examined the figures. The number of murders associated with Islamic extremists is nine. The number of people killed by armed toddlers is 21. The number of people killed as a result of being knocked down by a bus is 264. The number of people killed by Americans is over 11,000. These are the figures for one year. The chances of a person being killed by an armed toddler are greater than by an Islamic extremist. This shows how silly the process undertaken by the US President has been. It is important that a message be sent to him, loud and clear, that he does not have support in this country and throughout the world. The Taoiseach should go to the United States to ensure we send a clear message on our views.