Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has warned that there can be no place for antisemitism or antisemitic rhetoric in Ireland, as he expressed his sympathy to Australia and to the Irish Jewish community in the wake of the Bondi mass shooting.
Mr Martin also said that “we have to protect our Jewish community from any violent acts or any increase in antisemitism”, adding that the issue is receiving significant attention from An Garda Síochána.
Speaking in the Dáil, he offered his “sympathy and solidarity with the Australian people and with our Jewish community here in Ireland as they come to terms with the horror and grief of the mass shooting event at Bondi Beach on Sunday”.
“Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old child and a Holocaust survivor, were cruelly murdered, and more than 40 others were injured, for no other reason than their Jewish faith and identity, as they gathered to celebrate Hannukah,” the Jewish holiday celebrating the wintertime ‘festival of lights’.
The Irish Prime Minister said he was “acutely conscious of the feelings of vulnerability and isolation that an event like this can have on our own small Jewish community.
“And I want today to take this opportunity, as head of Government, to send a very clear message: our Jewish neighbours are an important and very valued part of our society, and there can be no place for antisemitism or antisemitic rhetoric in our State.”
Mr Martin added that “historically, our Jewish community has made a very significant contribution to the formation of the Irish State, during the War of Independence and in the decades that followed.
“We have to protect our Jewish community from any violent acts or any increase in antisemitism. An Garda Síochána, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice are all very aware of this.
“And across the board, we review all security in respect of all issues. Be in no doubt: this is a matter to which the Garda are giving significant attention.”
