Tetchy Council exchanges over St Patrick’s Day White House boycott

There were tetchy exchanges in the Guildhall chamber during a discussion on a motion calling on “all Irish politicians to boycott Donald Trump’s White House on St Patrick's Day”.

The motion, which went to a vote, was passed despite Unionist opposition and the abstention of the Sinn Féin bloc.

Proposing the motion, Cllr Shaun Harkin (PBP) called on the First Minister to use its veto to stop the DUP from going to the White House next month.

He said the DUP had supported Israel’s genocide and “was not going to go to the White House to give the views of the Irish people about US support for Israel’s genocide, especially not to Trump”.

Cllr Harkin welcomed the current ceasefire in Gaza which he said had “brought some relief and breathing space for the 2.3 million people there from the genocidal war they faced for more than a year and a half”.

He described the ceasefire as “limited” and accused Israel of escalating its “ethnic cleansing in the West Bank”.

“We all know there is a new occupant in the White House and he is no friend to the people of Gaza. His proposals are a real danger to the people of Gaza and Palestine, the people of the Middle East and the people of the world,” said Cllr Harkin.

“Donald Trump has proposed a clear out of Gaza - removal of the entire population - and that Gaza would be taken over by the United States and redeveloped as a playground for the rich, who would go there and live and holiday. This is a sick proposal. It is one the world rejects, rightly so.

“Every year there is a St Patrick’s Day weekend event in the White House and I think no Irish politicians should be going to the White House this year to legitimise and indulge a tyrant, who is attacking one group after another in the US - Palestinians, workers, the LGBTQ community, women, migrants - and he plans to go much further.

“America today has 40 or 50 million people living in poverty that the US Government doesn’t invest in and tens of millions of people with no health care or very limited health care.

“Donald Trump’s cabinet is stacked with billionaires. In the past, these people used to operate in the shadows and influence politics. Today, Donald Trump has them out front, smashing unions, supporting the far right, and trying to create division and strife here in Ireland and across Europe.”

Cllr Harkin called on the Stormont Executive, the Dáil, and Council’s across Ireland to back the White House boycott.

“Going to the White House had no impact on Joe Biden,” added Cllr Harkin. “They actually used it to legitimise themselves.

Supporting the motion, SDLP councillor Catherine McDaid said she was proud party leader, Claire Hanna, announced neither she nor any SDLP members would be attending Washington parties this year.

At this point, Cllr Pat Murphy said Sinn Féin supported “a lot of things” contained in the “meandering” motion.

“What we are not supportive of are any attempts to dictate to any other parties what they should or should not do regarding the upcoming St Patrick’s Day events in the US,” he said.

“If Government parties in the 26 Counties and here in the North decide to attend events in the US for St Patrick’s Day, then all we can hope for is they use the opportunity to reflect the views of the Irish people in relation to Palestine, in support of international law and to reject the threats for the mass expulsions of the Palestinian people and the seizure of their lands.

“The cause of Palestine and its quest for peace and self-determination is too important and must not be used by anyone to score points and further their own political aspirations.

“The people of Palestine require and deserve that everyone who supports them, form alliances and move forward with unity of purpose and cohesion. Attempts to ostracise people and groups is not in the interests of the citizens of Palestine.”

Describing Donald Trump as a “repugnant, horrible individual”, Cllr Gary Donnelly said people who think they are in a position to in some way influence the likes of Donald Trump by “having a word” were “deluded".