White House fallout continues

Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill has said she is proud of the stance she took in staying away from Washington DC last week because of attacks on innocent Palestinians.

Several Irish political parties refused to take part in the White House events over the Trump administration’s support for the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip.

Israel renewed its intensive bombings in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 400 Palestinians and injuring more than 560, with more victims still under the rubble.

Entire families were massacred in the bombings, with at least 174 children among the dead, the largest ever one-day child death toll in the Middle East. A UN headquarters was also attacked by Israel, killing one staff member and injuring others, as it launched a new ground invasion.

Nonstop attacks on civilian infrastructure are also preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in need, resuming a genocide and provoking a wave of new protests across Ireland and the world.

But the Six County First Minister was criticised for boycotting St Patrick’s Day events in the US capital by Taoiseach Micheál Martin who described it as a “big mistake”.

Ironically, he referred to the Irish peace process, when he said that “huge efforts” were made in the 1990s to facilitate Sinn Féin’s access to the corridors of power in the US.

But when asked about her trip to the US during questions at Stormont, Ms O’Neill defended her stance.

She told Assembly members: “I didn’t attend Washington last week because of the situation in Palestine, because of the stance of the US administration, and because I simply will not turn the other way when we see such a breach of international law and the genocide of the Palestinian people.

“Whenever everybody will reflect on this period in time, and there’ll be those that decided to look away, and those that didn’t. I will be proud to say I did not look away.”

NOTORIOUS

There was more vindication for Sinn Féin’s position on St Patricks’ Day itself, when Irish politicians were universally snubbed by Trump as he welcomed Irish alt-right figure Conor McGregor to the White House as his only invited guest.

The infamous mixed martial arts celebrity has a string of convictions and was recently found liable for sexual assault.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “we couldn’t think of a better guest to have with us on St Patrick’s Day”, before McGregor launched into a tirade from the White House press podium, lashing out at asylum seekers and what he said was the “illegal immigrant racket”, claiming the Dublin government had “abandoned” the Irish people.

Micheál Martin hit back at McGregor’s comments, saying that they do not reflect the views of the people of Ireland.

“St. Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship,” he said in a statement.

“Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.”

OBSEQUIOUS

But the Taoiseach has faced continuing criticism for his own behaviour in the Oval Office last week.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the Taoiseach of “spoofing” and claimed his “sniggering” in the White House about the housing crisis was the action of an “obsequious coward”.

There were nasty exchanges in the Dublin parliament as the government reduced the time available for Dáil debates after admitting false housing figures had exaggerated the number of housing starts ahead of November’s general election.

“You were sitting in the Oval Office laughing about Ireland’s housing crisis,” Ms McDonald said. “You said: ‘That’s a pretty good answer Mr President’,” she said.

She asked if this was a “pretty good answer” for people locked out of home ownership or “crucified with rip-off rents”. She asked Mr Martin: “Do you recognise the hurt [caused] by your laughing with the American president about the Irish housing crisis?”

“Your sniggering interaction hurt a lot of people. Taoiseach, you made light of their suffering. So Government misleads people on housing at home and then laughs at them while rubbing shoulders with the powerful abroad.”

Urgent Appeal