Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I rise today to propose a motion that Seanad Éireann recognises the Holodomor - inflicting death by starvation - of 1932 to 1933 as a genocide on the Ukrainian people and that its 90th anniversary, which will fall on 26 November 2022, we show our solidarity with Ukraine in commemorating this man-made famine, which was inflicted on the Ukrainian people by the deliberate policies of a totalitarian Stalinist regime, which resulted in millions of innocent lives being lost. I want to recognise the ambassador of Ukraine, who is currently in the Distinguished Visitors’ Gallery.

There is a background statement to this, which will be made available to people later. One of the paragraphs is horrific and states:

At the height of Holodomor, Ukrainians died at a rate of 25,000 per day, nearly a quarter of rural Ukrainians perished, more than 3 million children born in 1932 and 1933 died of starvation. [Remember that this was inflicted on the people.] In the same two years, the Soviet Union sold 1.7 million tons of grain on western markets.

These deaths were planned. It was the murder of so many people. We should hold today that we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in remembering this issue.

Over the past day or two, I have spoken about the Irish Coast Guard. Yesterday, I spoke about the issue of lifejackets and the day before I spoke about the failure to have an inquest into Caitríona Lucas’s death. The Coast Guard has been without a director for a considerable time now. There are massive issues with respect to the way volunteers have been treated in that organisation. There are outstanding grievances that have never been heard. To my mind,and from my point of view, the organisation appears to be toxic. I ask the Deputy Leader to bring the Minister before this House for a debate on the Irish Coast Guard and where exactly it is going. Volunteers put themselves forward to this organisation. They give of their time freely and to have senior members of the Coast Guard arriving at their house to tell them that they are fired is simply not good enough. I am therefore asking for a debate on that.