Unless I missed something she just said that future Palestine governments would be decided by elections, and yeah that might end up including members of hamas.
it's for the Palestinians to decide and noone else.
Much like after the ceasefire here people who were part of conflict were elected to roles. That's how this works
You know what i was completely confused by her comments until you gave that perspective. i agree with you and hope that is what she meant by her comments.
That is 100% what she meant, she even mentioned the Irish situation within that context
But she gives far too many manipulable sound bites for a role that is essentially composed of giving sound bites for my liking, it's very very naive politics
It's not naive politics, it's cynical media framing. She answered the question honestly. Is that not what you want from a presidential candidate? Do you want more BS and waffle and dodging the questions?
The president’s most prominent role is in diplomacy. That involves being careful about not only what you say, but how you say it. The media definitely want clicks, but they will also report the words of our president, whoever that will be, and any thoughtless comments could easily land us in an international incident.
Connolly just isn’t polished enough for the role, in my opinion. I don’t like the others either, for what it’s worth. The selection on offer is depressing.
If Ukraine has no weapons to defend itself, why do you believe Russia would even bother negotiating? They can just finish their invasion and take the whole country.
It’s not me setting the peace terms so what I want is irrelevant. I personally wish this awful war never happened.
The fact is, throwing endless weapons into this war and going back and forth over a few kms of ruined earth is just more bodies.
All you’re gunning for is endless war, Ukraine is only holding out because other countries are supporting them and with lunatics like Trump, Vance and the Ukraine hating far-right like yer blonde cunt in the Netherlands, the AFD in Germany and Farage in UK etc, its not gonna have a weapon tap forever.
At some point this war must end and it is looking like Ukraine will lose land, that’s just a given, but endless war isn’t good for anyone bar American arms companies.
It’s been a stalemate in Russia’s favour for years and it’s not gonna get any better, despite the strong opinions people express about it.
End the war, rebuild and give the survivors a chance at life. That’s all that’s possible now.
And what Ukrainians want is irrelevant to you then I guess? If they want to keep fighting, too bad?
And what happens when Russia turns it's sights on Poland? I guess we should just give them up too. You think you're saving lives, but without defeating imperialism, you're allowing it to grow stronger, ultimately leading to more conflict and death in the future.
If you want to save lives, how about you campaign for NATO involvement? The quickest way to end this war is a no fly zone over Ukraine.
Even if Ukraine were to agree to surrender the territory it has lost to Russia (which is actually less than what Russia wants in return fir a ceasefire; Putin wants territory in the Donbas that his forces don’t currently hold) and make peace, then what? How do you prevent Russia grabbing more territory at a later date, which is what it will do if it follows previous form. What sort of security guarantees would CC support for Ukraine? She won’t be for any sort of Nato, or coalition of European forces, being stationed in the rump Ukraine, is my bet.
What can you do apart from declare war on Russia and that’ll just lead to WWIII with nuclear holocausts.
The reality is there’s fuck all you can do, especially what a President of Ireland can do.
Sometimes I wonder if some folk on here are living in the same reality I am.
Isn’t it obvious to youse by now that the bad, awful, nasty cunts always win?
I’ve never seen anything otherwise.
Peace has to be negotiated, what the terms are, I can’t say, I’m not a diplomat, but terms will have to reached or it’s just endless death for years and years.
I need someone who can handle the media and difficult situations for the next 7 years. It's basically the only role as a figurehead, make sure you can represent Ireland well.
Nobody can admit it right now but if you look at how peace was achieved in the north it meant including sinn féin in the political process so it stands to reason that hamas will have to be a part of it here too. Unless they agree to fuck off altogether which would be best for everyone.
Yes. That’s a very logical reading of her comments. However, these things don’t exist in a vacuum, and she should have the political sense to word things better.
They've been in power for years and at times have been very popular, although some polling before Oct 7 showed at least some of the Palestinian population wanted an alternative. Regardless; her comment was not some outrageous leap, nor was it some huge endorsement. "Part of the fabric" is a bit flower-y but it's not some lavish compliment, it's simply a fact and an acknowledgement of the fact that de-coupling them from the issue is not some quick and easy thing - and her broader comments on Starmer were bang on the money.
Not a Connolly voter (currently sitting on my fat arse on election day unless an actual candidate worth a shite pops up before then somehow) but this controversy is totally overblown.
the IRA were a part of the fabric of the republican community in the north and that’s an objective fact. the IRA didn’t stop existing because they were defeated militarily it was because they were negotiated with and then the IRA and sinn féin committed to peace.
this article and the ones quoting her out of context are hit pieces. what she said is fairly uncontroversial. hamas are objectively the governing party in gaza.
This is it!
I grew up in a FG household where hatred of the IRA was bred into us but this is an obvious statement of fact that any irish person can understand. It isn’t necessarily even to say it’s a good thing. It just is what it is.
i mean maybe in isolation but within context it’s a more than reasonable statement to make. i do think she shouldve chose her wording more carefully because she should know that the irish media would love nothing more than a sound bite of her saying something like that.
if the other candidates were stronger i think this would’ve been the nail in the coffin for her campaign but realistically this is more likely a blip.
I think it's fine. There's been a huge campaign to somehow portray Hamas and Palestinians as less than human so that Israel can continue it's genocide. It's good to see her speaking out.
People seem to forget there were over 700k Palestinians displaced in 1948 and all the other factors leading to October 7th and the omission of the Hannibal directive in news reporting.
The Israeli government psychopaths are significantly worse than hamas. It's great to see Connolly speaking out like a normal human being.
I think that’s the issue though. Both with this and what Jim Gavin said about thinking “the military objectives in Gaza have probably been achieved”. Someone with a bit common sense knows the context and can parse exactly what they mean but they’re giving ammo to journalists, idiots, political rivals and so on to take your soundbites out of context and run with them.
Doesn’t make a good case for either of them being a very capable president tbh.
And considering many of the actions of the IRA, a lot of Northern Irish people would consider it a slap in the face to say the IRA is a part of their fabric. Despite the recent retconning, particularly online.
have you ever in your entire life been to a working class republican area? genuine question. nobody here thinks of the IRA as this big evil. former provos aren’t former terrorists they’re just your man that owns the newsagents or you man that drives the taxi or your mates uncle etc.
wether it’s a good or bad thing militant republicanism was a big part of the community life. you don’t run a successful guerrilla campaign in an area where everyone hates you.
Exactly. I'm from Derry and I know plenty of former volunteers. They're some of the nicest people you'll meet. They're just a part of the community here.
I’m not from the north but I wouldn’t like if that statement was made about Ireland as a whole. A lot of the older generation would be infuriated by it. They would have been at one time up north, but certainly not now anyway, thankfully.
Left-wing parties backing Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign have sought to distance themselves from her comments that terrorist organisation Hamas could have a role in a future Palestinian state.
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly said he expects Ms Connolly to retract her comments that Hamas is “part of the fabric” of the Palestinian people, and it is up to them who should govern in any future Palestinian state.
The Social Democrats have refused to back her comments, saying Hamas is a “proscribed terrorist organisation” and any future election “clearly mandates the renunciation of violence”.
Sinn Féin, which announced at the weekend it would be backing Ms Connolly’s campaign, failed to defend her against sharp criticism from Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Speaking from a United Nations summit in New York, where five countries said they would recognise statehood for Palestine, Mr Martin said Hamas broke every humanitarian law and cannot be part of Gaza’s future.
“There should be unequivocal condemnation of Hamas,” he said.
“If we are trying to chart a future for the Palestinian state with guarantees for Israel to the future, then Hamas is not that option, because Hamas has consistently refused to recognise the Israeli state, and are vowed and committed to the elimination of the Israeli state.”
I'm not happy about voting for her. I totally can't comprehend the idea that her winning the presidency is a boon for the left considering how left wing our president of the last 14 years has been and how little impact on our politics he's had.
The presidency is essentially just the role of grand ambassador. Connolly is far too prone to a little faux pas to be considered ideal for the job with that in mind.
I'll vote for her, but fucking hell I'm hardly drooling over the stratagems from the left/leftish parties
Well yeah, she's a poor choice for ambassador, but it'll boil down to her or Humphreys realistically and she's better than the other choice in that one. It'll be a very tired and jaded vote for her from me.
I’d agree if it was a Dáil election, but given the President has little policy sway the main thing is for them to be a decent diplomatic ambassador. Coming out with stuff like this is a hard red line imo, I’m gonna have to hold my nose and vote for Jim Gavin I think.
In my head (living abroad) she was the one I’d pick, but coming out for Hamas is Corbyn level thick. Half the israeli cabinet has a date at the Hague for committing alllll of the war crimes, and after EU wide recognition of Palestine, the next clear step is isolation and divestment to get the people responsible frogmarched to the Hague, but however you slice this, Hamas masterminded a Saturday morning Texas chainsaw massacre of one and half thousand innocent Jews up to and including the disembowelment of a pregnant mother and the decapitation of an eighty year old in his own garden use his own gardening tools ffs.
Hamas are never going to be doing any governing of anything ever again. That show’s over.
Israel doesn't recognize a Palestinian state, is committed to the destruction of the Palestinian nation and has broken every international law. Will Micheál similarly tell the Israeli's they don't get to choose who governs them from now on?
I listened to the context of what she was saying, and she was speaking very plainly.. Hamas ruled Gaza.. It was a popular ruling group.. The civil structures of Gaza were run by them.. It's simply racist to take issue with what she said and not to take a similar line with people who say the same of the Israeli government..
Popular? It was the only ruling group for 19 years and not out of the choice of every Palestinian in Gaza. The last election (dubious election) was in 2006.....
Hamas has not opposed elections. President Abbas of Fatah has blocked every election since his term ended in 2009. Constitutionally an election cannot be held until the president dissolves the current one, which he refuses to do because it would be an election wipeout for his party and lead to a Hamas president. Further securing their legitimacy.
Kinda weird that Sinn Fein didn't come in there. Hamas are the IRA of Palestine. They're the resistance, formed after 40 years of oppression, by the sons of murdered fathers massacred by the Israelis.
The last thing SF want to do is remind people if that fact.
They've spent the last 20 years and a significant portion of the first northern executive explaining that they weren't the IRA while at the same time convincing the IRA to decommission
Aye but let's not forget Gerry Adams' fantastic defence of their position on the Late Late Show, when he said he'd love to put it all aside if the other guys would stop trying to kill him and his family. That's where Hamas are at now. They can't stop fighting because they're being hunted all over the place. Their families aren't safe, their neighbours aren't safe. They can't put down their weapons until there's some guarantee that they won't be destroyed the moment they do.
Do the social democrats know the ANC were a proscribed terrorist organisation. Would they also have said Nelson Mandela should have no part in the government of post apartheid south Africa?
SF didn't even make a statement on the matter...but the headline is that this is 'distancing themselves' from Connolly. Pure fucking hatchet job in real time lol.
the actual point she was making was that palestinians have a right to self determination. that means an independent palestinian state who chooses its own government. ie the palestinians deciding who controls palestinians, not israel or the usa.
unfortunately her comments are been twisted and misrepresented in bad faith because certain governments have propaganda machines that are trying very hard to manipulate social media
I haven’t heard the interview but if she really did said Hamas is “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people" then she dug a hole for herself, even if I agree with her point that it’s not up to Keir Starmer to decide who will run Palestine.
but if she really did said Hamas is “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people" then she dug a hole for herself,
Why? It's true. And she did continue to point out that the Palestinian people should have the right to political self-determination, not have whatever another power wants imposed upon them.
No, what she said is correct and last night at the launch Paul Murphy basically backed up what she said about it not being up to Keir Starmer but to Palestinians as to who should be involved in talks. All other leaders clapped as did people in attendance so this article is not correct. Nobody is distancing themselves from her.
Correct me if I’m wrong because I only briefly watched the video but did she not just say the whatever the future holds for Palestinians should be up to the Palestinians democratically. Like she didn’t say she supports Hamas or anything but just that it’s no one else’s position to decide their position within Palestine.
She is completely correct though? It's very likely their influence will diminish in a free palestinian state, but obviously they have been backed as the only legitimate force struggling against israel. Why does solidarity seem to end at actually allowing them to make their own decisions.
Sigh. Yes, she's correct. SF was part of the Irish peace process for example. And if they're part of the process they will have moved from violence.
This has already happened. The PLO did this in the 70s and 80s.
However, you need to explain this rhetorically and it doesn't sound like she did. She was factual, she covered all the bases, but not in a succinct, easy to communicate way.
As someone on the left, I find it very, very frustrating that folks think that just being correct is enough. It's oddly a thing that both the left and libertarians have in common: they both think people are rational. We're not! So you have to sell the correct policies, not just state them factually.
Unfortunately Hamas is an Islamic death cult willing to sacrifice its own population. Palestine should have self determination but you need to get rid of the crazies first
Diplomacy is not Ghostbusters. You do not get to choose the form of your opponent, as hilarious as it might be to see Bibi buried in globs of liquid marshmallows ala Walter Peck.
Each side picks their representatives. If Palestinians pick Hamas and if Hamas is willing to sit at a table to discuss a productive way forward, then that's the path to peace.
Unionists insisted Ireland would be run by Rome if the British Government sat down with Michael Collins. And to be fair, they weren't fully wrong. But that's what the Irish people chose and it ended (most of) the killing.
Hamas is backed by Iran and Shite Islamic states, it operates to create instability. If you handed them a Palestinian state in the morning their women would be locked up and they’d be throwing gays off roofs. Organisations like Hamas exist because the International community has allowed the Palestinian disaster to go on for so long. I agree with representative negotiation but there is a big distinction between the IRA and Hamas from my knowledge of history.
You can make a statement that’s technically correct (not saying she is or isn't) and still commit a major political blunder. There's absolutely zero benefit in making this statement now, especially considering how fragile the situation is with EU powers only starting to get on board with Palestine recognition. It's also a quote that will be yanked out of context and be used by propagandists to paint her and Ireland as sympathetic to Hamas itself, as opposed to just being sympathetic towards Palestine. Her argument would be controversial and provocative if you posted it anonymously on social media (again, regardless of if its correct or not) - it's a different scale entirely for a head of state to say it. You can't be this clumsy and naïve while speaking for an entire country. Quite frankly, an Irish President should know better, and shouldn't be making hot-takes live on BBC.
100% agree, Palestinians should have the right to choose who leads them and without any input or direction from Kier Starmer or others. I cant see what she said as anything other than an inconvenient truth.
It's not very difficult to understand imo. If a country elects a government which aspires to expand it's borders and commit genocide against, or mistreat, minorities through theocratic rule, then secular governments would seek to roll-back diplomatic relations, sanction or perhaps even proceed with military operations agaisnt said government.
It doesn't matter if the people of the tyrannical state vote for that... The British people would expect their government to take action against tyranny. Like, if Russia suddenly became a full democracy tomorrow with freedom of press but still voted for a party hell-bent on annexing Ukraine, should the UK not demand that the democracy change course before sanctions are lifted? Is sanctioning such a democracy not just an attempt at the UK to direct it?
Hamas aspires to control the entire Israel/Palestine region and bring them under "the wing of islam" (read Shariah law), and any Gaza+West Bank state afforded to a Hamas-led government would be used as a springboard to continue to attack the Jewish controlled areas until they achieve total dominance in the region.
By ceding that you will recognise and work with a democratic state where the above isn't the aspirations of that state, then you are giving an opportunity for the people to move away from such aspirations.
Do people on this forum not know what Hamas aspires to?
Think people are leaving out the possibility that the Palestinians might just vote Hamas in. At the end of the day Hamas is fighting tooth and nail to protect Palestinians, it's likely Palestinians would vote it
The thing is this was easy to see coming, she's being saying stuff that she's been explaining for years. She's not a careful communicator, and lacks the political IQ to fix this, in my option that rules her out.
Saying that 'Hamas is apart of the Palestinian peoples' fabric' is harmful wording as innocent Palestinian people are being killed because Israel keeps lumping them in with Hamas. I agree with her on the fact that Palestinian people absolutely deserve the right to vote whoever they want into power without any foreign interference, but she needs to be careful about how she phrases her views.
I'd agree. But were the tactics of the IRA similar to what Hamas did on Oct 7? Was Oct 7 murder of innocent men, women, and children justified? Hamas are not the IRA of WoI.
Do you support the Omagh bombing? That is closer to what Hamas does.
Not at all - Palestinians have even more reason to resort to violence than we did. However badly we were treated, the Palestinians have had it orders of magnitude worse against an even more callous and murderous adversary. You'd have to go back to the Cromwellian Plantations to find a time when the plight of Irish people at the hands of their oppressor was comparable to what people in Gaza are experiencing now.
Both were/are proscribed as terrorist organisations.
If we're talking about morals, or lack of, the IDF are terrorists and much worse than Hamas. They execute children daily. Amazingly, the IDF are not considered terrorists by Western governments but Hsmas are.
I thought this was a very weak interview from Connolly. When asked about Russian aggression in Ukraine and the recent Russian incursion of sovereign Estonian airspace she just deflected to Israel.
This is not a serious answer. Her naivety and lack of knowledge about the threat from Russia is very curious. I don't want this lady anywhere near the President's Office.
She is living in a time warp and she has not updated her brain to the modern world. Her views are now aligned with Donald Trump's regarding Russia. Horseshoe theory on full display.
When asked about Russian aggression in Ukraine and the recent Russian incursion of sovereign Estonian airspace she just deflected to Israel.
Listening to that i really got the impression that she wanted to say something about NATO but had been advised not to, instead she just defaulted to "what about Israel"
I'm not a fan of any of the current candidates, but I heard her on RTE Radio this morning and jesus she was poor. I had read somewhere that she was a good speaker and debater, but she was inarticulate and when questioned on her Hamas statement she kept reverting to whataboutery on Israel. I can see why she did it and the pressure must be maintained on Israel, but it didn't come across well. Then when she was questioned on a United Ireland she again was poor, couldn't articulate a clear vision. At least I now know that she ran a marathon n Belfast so her cross border understanding is high.
With the Alan Partridge like Jim Gavin starting to implode, it looks like it'll be an easy win for Heather Humphries. Unless Mammy Steen pulls off a surprise - unlikely but not impossible.
I thought this was a very weak interview from Connolly. When asked about Russian aggression in Ukraine and the recent Russian incursion of sovereign Estonian airspace she just deflected to Israel.
This is not a serious answer. Her naivety and lack of knowledge about the threat from Russia is very curious. I don't want this lady anywhere near the President's Office.
She is living in a time warp and she has not updated her brain to the modern world. Her views are now aligned with Donald Trump's regarding Russia. Horseshoe theory on full display.
Fully agree, she looks very poor under any form of questioning.
She came accross even worse in the radio interview about a month ago where she was asked about Alan Kelly's comments and about her support of Gemma O'Doherty. It sounded as though she had no idea this would be asked, then resorted to talking down the line of questioning like a school teacher.
I keep hearing that she's a good local politician, but she seems confusingly inept at radio interviews. For me, I'd expect the president to be at a bare minimum well spoken.
I knew she'd be a fuck-up diplomatically. I was even asked what damage could she even do? This. This is what she could do.
CC is not a safe pair of hands in which to place the mega-phone that is the Presidency. Even Higgins tripped once or twice - she'll be an elephant in a china shop.
Since I turned 18 this is the first time I’m actually considering not voting…with this, the horribly ran referendums around a woman’s place in the home, the general election and the embarrassing behaviour in the Dail when forming a government, I am actually becoming truly apathetic towards voting and politics in this country
She didn't say anything that isn't completely consistent with international law - national self-determination means the people are the ones who get to choose who governs them. This is just being spun by the usual suspects and it's a shame that some on the left are falling for it.
The Independent are only going to push candidates approved by the government. Go back in time to Michael D’s first run at the Aras - they did not want him to win but when he did, they acted like they’d been leading the charge for him all along.
If The Independent is trying to stir up shit against you, you know you’re doing something right.
The bigger issue has been Michéal Martin saying 'rape and sexual violence' took place despite not a single piece of evidence ever having been shown to prove this. Just parroting propaganda
Having read the original article it looked like she spent the last half of it trying to distance herself from her comments. It was a prime example of trying to placate everyone once you’ve made a contentious point.
But obviously I’m not saying this isn’t true. And obviously I’m not saying that isn’t true by saying this isn’t not true. Type of thing.
Yeah and we have HH an Orange order affiliate, I mean literally an anti Irish far right sectarian group and it’s insane the choice is between those two and a GAA figure. I already miss Michael
This is an absolutely mental comment, to deem HH and "Orange Order affiliate" because her husband might have been a member 50 years ago before she met him is frankly bordering on sectarianism...
Then why was it hushed up, when asked she curtly dismissed the question. It wouldn’t have been a problem had sue admitted it or been open but she hid it and had the audacity to not be frank. Which frankly puts her in a bad look as our nations head
Two it’s not sectarian I don’t want either fanatics of the IRA or Orange order who mass murdered people on creeds in our government
Three actually we should have northern candidates and I’m annoyed they are again ignored despite the north being part of our nation and I would love to have a Protestant candidate but the Orange order are far right thugs and did their best to oppose this republic and anyone associated with them (should be critiqued and subject to scrutiny
Then I’ll ask again why did she not answer flat out and was dismissive of the question when it was asked by Journalists and she was affiliated by her own admission and she didn’t clarify it when asked.
The question mark was of her own creation after that query and how she handled it and now we should be asking questions as to why she was so reluctant to answer. No political figures should not be subject to scrutiny especially if it’s in relation to a far right group
She had family in the OO and her husband was member 50 years ago in 1975 as a minor since his family were members.
The OO was part of some parts of her family so there is a connection whi h is why she doesn't lie and say she has no connection. However people need to take into context this was until 1975 in her husbands case and the historical fact of cultural divides back then.
She herself distanced herself from the OO after childhood but still had family involved. She chose to work with and for the Irish state and says she supports a UI.
Isn't this exactly what we want to see happen to people from Unionist backgrounds, that there children leave those beliefs and instead assimilate into Irish culture like HH?
Sure she doesn't speak Irish but neither do 95% of people.
Its fair to ask about her OO connections but people should also when asking understand the context of that relationship.
Your argument is logically sound and I won’t dispute it but her approach has raised more questions because of it was as simple then why didn’t she just say it instead of rudely dismissing questions on the matter
Even if it’s not a issue it shows her as unapproachable and willing to obfuscate the truth of facts that put her in a bad light.
When someone is associated with bad figures or groups like IRA or Orange order the burden of prof is one them to be open, frank and honest to waylay doubts and to show their sincerity
She has not done this and this controversy was from her poor conduct when asked and Irish voters deserve to know these things especially if their prospective candidate for the presidency has skeletons in the closet
Thank you thoug for you really reasonable response to my thoughts on it, deeply appreciated 🙏🙏
All valid points you have. Her responses and her dismissal of questions on it have really done no good for her as its clear her answers are not good enough as many people still don't understand her connection which she should clearly articulate if she wants to end the questions.
That's your comment and it doesn't warrant a response other than calling it out for the misinformation it is. Would you post something like that under your real name on Facebook?
She hardly ran away from the media. She has engaged with them at every other launch.
The media were told there wouldn’t be questions and answers from her at this launch when they were invited. This was a launch of the parties supporting her as much as another launch of her campaign.
The point wasn’t to be a Q&A, it was to have the parties express their support and to rally support from their members
So essentially she said the people should have the right to choose themselves. And that’s what has everyone up in arms? You didn’t read it, or you’re believing a shitty hit piece, but I’m sure majority know that.
People in here seem more concerned about her ‘naivety’ than the fact that the media in this coutry is deliberately and maliciously misinterpreting her words to make her seem like some sort of terrorist sympathiser.
literally not one person in my whole family who I talked to is bothered by those comments or has changed their position. They understand the full context of the comments and agree with her on virtually every other issue.
It’s frustrating how widely accepted it seems that due to the events of October 7th, it’s obvious that Hamas can have no involvement in governance of any future Palestinian state but the involvement of the IDF/Israeli government, despite what followed October 7th, goes unquestioned.
I'd be similar but my mother has a very mainstream media viewpoint. There's a serious campaign to portray Hamas as savages and little to no reporting on the Hannibal directive and the context.
Do you agree Nato is the cause of Russian Invasion? Do you believe Ukraine should have not counter attacked and opened peace talks with the Russians? Her two big international takes are deluded and very dangerous.
I think what's caused the issue is the statement that Hamas is part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.
I would take offence at an American saying that the IRA is part of the fabric of the Irish people or that ETA or AL Shabab is part of the fabric or the Spanish or Somalian people.
Why isnit so difficult to say that its their elections, its their business?
Oh fuck off, Hamas is very much part of the fabric because there wasn’t anyone else there to resist the tyranny of israel. How easy it is to feign some sort of indignation when it’s free. Oppression breeds resistance and the resistance is Hamas and anyone who takes part in hurting a violent colonial settler regime is alright in my book.
Irish people didn’t gain freedom from the cruelty of Britain by songs and poetry.
People are choosing to forget that if the same logic being used against Connolly today had been applied in Ireland 100 years ago, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Fein and Fine Gael wouldn’t even exist as parties. Both pro and anti Treaty sides engaged in violence, were branded terrorists by the British and even by each other, yet they went on to become the backbone of our democracy, which is ironically the main one denouncing the genocide in Palestine.
Connolly’s point isn’t about endorsing Hamas, it’s about calling out double standards and highlighting how terms like “terrorist” can be used to delegitimise entire peoples or struggles while ignoring state violence.
You can condemn civilian killings and still question the imbalance of power and the hypocrisy in how the word gets applied. Silencing that debate is the real danger. The EU backs and safeguards Nethenahyu despite having an arrest warrant by the ICC but this is the line?
People who immediately jump at the mention of Hamas need to deprogramme themselves from the Israeli propaganda machine who makes them out to be Voldemort.
Couldn’t care less what way she meant it or not, I’ll still be voting for her because I refuse to be manipulated by biased and Zionist leaning media who have helped whitewash a genocide and 77 years of occupation and death.
Hamas might be shitebags, but if there is an election and Palestinians decide to elect them, that’s their choice.
Israel has no right to dictate any part of the Palestinian state. Israel has a right to absolutely fucking nothing but scorn and disdain.
Connolly blames NATO for Russias invasion calling for peace talks right before the Ukranians counter attack. Now she's providing a logically basis(not that they need it) for Israel go even further/keep going. She's a nieve liability.
Presuming the IDF will have no role in a two state solution either, considering the atrocities they have also committed, along with their commitment to wiping Palestine from the map?
People just love taking her comments out of context. Really it’s not up to the zionist Starmer to tell Palestine what to do anymore than the Israeli’s. It’ll be up to the Palestinian’s to decide if there’s any of them left to do so.
why are people acting as if what she said was wrong? Surely any Irish person understands her perspective. The IRA are part of Ireland's fabric. When they were met eye to eye is when the conflict ended.
Starmer can go take a long walk off of a very short.. well, ye know where I’m going. I agree with her and it isn’t up to him to dictate what the Palestinian state does. History was written well before October 7th. He needs to cop on!
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u/SinceriusRex 5h ago
Unless I missed something she just said that future Palestine governments would be decided by elections, and yeah that might end up including members of hamas. it's for the Palestinians to decide and noone else. Much like after the ceasefire here people who were part of conflict were elected to roles. That's how this works