In Ireland Today, the Antisemitism is So Wide and Deep That One Despairs Hugh Fitzgerald
The government of Ireland has just announced that it has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Here is that definition: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Most of those adopting that definition also point to various examples of different ways in which that antisemitism is expressed.
Such a decision — to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism — is always to be welcomed, but given how antisemitic many Irish, including those at the very top of the government, have shown themselves to be this past year, in truly hair-raising pronouncements by the Irish president, Michael Higgins, the prime minister Simon Harris, the foreign minister Micheal Martin, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamonn Martin, and the head of the Anglican Church in Ireland, Canon David Oxley, it’s hard to see that that adoption of the IHRA will do much good with those people still in office.
Ireland is, said one leader of the Irish Jewish community, the “most antisemitic” of all member states in the EU, and this announcement looks to be more of an attempt to deflect criticism rather than a genuine expression of sympathetic understanding for Jews, a tiny and embattled people fighting a seven-front war, who are now experiencing an increase in antisemitism worldwide that has not been seen since the days of the Nazis. More on what has been going on in Ireland that vitiates its pretense of becoming, if not a supporter of Israel, at least not a relentless and obsessive enemy of both the Jewish state and also of Jews, can be found here: “Ireland Adopts IHRA Definition of Antisemitism Amid Row With Israel,” by Dion J. Pierre, Algemeiner, January 17, 2025:
Ireland has announced that it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, an unexpected policy decision which comes amid a surge of Jew-hatred in the country and a downward spiral in relations with Israel.
“Ireland is committed to countering the scourge of racism and hatred and to promoting values of equality, inclusiveness, and the full respect of human rights,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said in a statement announcing the move on Thursday. “Combating antisemitism is an increasingly important and visible part of this work. I have been deeply concerned at the current trend of a global rise in antisemitism, both online and offline. The government takes this issue seriously and we will continue to tackle all forms of discrimination.”
If Micheal Martin is intent on “combating antisemitism,” will he publicly admonish, for a start, Canon Oxley, who has described Jews as believing that they are a “master race”? Will he ask for President Michael Higgins to explain his bizarre charge that Israel is planning to build a “settlement” in Egypt, or to justify his constant attacks on the IDF for waging a “merciless” war? And what of the endless stream of anti-Israel invective from Prime Minister Simon Harris, who accuses of Israel of the deliberate “starvation of children” and the intentional “killing of civilians”? And what about remarks by Micheal Martin himself, denouncing the IDF’s conduct of the war as a violation of international law, and choosing to join South Africa at the International Court of Justice in accusing Israel of “war crimes” and “genocide,” while ignoring completely all the measures that the IDF takes to warn civilians away from sites about to be targeted? Those endless remarks so full of anti-Israel animus made by every major figure in the Irish government — the president, the prime minister, the minister of foreign affairs —proved too much for the Israelis to stand. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar finally shut down his government’s embassy in Dublin.
Martin continued, “I believe the step taken today will be an important contribution to these efforts. We will also continue our close relationship with the Jewish community in Ireland and ensure that their concerns are heard.”
Martin later followed his announcement with a tweet which emphasized the IHRA definition’s being “non-legally binding,” a point he made again in reference to Ireland’s additional adoption of the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, which he also described as “non-legally binding.”
Why did Martin stress that the IHRA definition that Ireland now “accepts” is not legally binding? Is he trying to reassure the antisemites in the public not to worry, no laws will be broken if you speak your mind, there will be no penalty for ignoring IHRA? Go ahead, he seems to imply, and say what you really think about Israel and Jews; you are just as free to make antisemitic remarks now as you were before the government adopted IHRA.
Irish textbooks now teach the country’s schoolchildren that Islam strives for “peace and justice,” and Muslims only go to war in self-defense, “not to spread Islam.” Thus are 1400 years of documented aggression by Muslims in many lands and against many peoples, simply ignored. Think of the Christians in North Africa who were forcibly Islamized, from Morocco to Egypt, the Orthodox Christians in Turkey, so many of whom were murdered or agreed to convert in order to avoid the wretched status of dhimmis, forced to pay the jizyah to the Islamic state. Don’t forget the Zoroastrians of the Persian Empire who were conquered by Muslim Arabs, who Islamized, or killed, its inhabitants (some Zoroastrians fled to India, where they became known as “Parsis”). And don’t forget the 70-80 million Hindus who were murdered by Muslim conquerors during the several hundred years of Mughal rule. Yet in Irish textbooks, Muslims never resort to war “to spread Islam,” but only to “defend” it. This is an offense against history and the truth. Not just Jews, but all non-Muslims, ought to be outraged.
In Ireland today, the antisemitism is so wide and deep that one despairs. How can the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism drain that swamp, undo so much hatred? Perhaps the spectacle of several thousand well-fed and well-clothed Palestinians (Israeli prisons are like those in Scandinavia), hundreds of them terrorist murderers, being freed by Israel in exchange for some dozens of malnourished and clearly miserably treated men, women, children, and the Bibas babies, will shock some Irish into rethinking their prejudices. Perhaps this grotesque trade of innocents for murderers over the next 42 days during phase one, or over 84 days for phases one and two, will offer some lux in tenebris after all. Call it The Great Awakening.
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