Fianna Fáil MEP calls for Bertie Ahern to issue an apology

Vivienne Clarke

Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú is calling on former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to issue an apology for comments about migrants and Muslims during a byelection canvass in Dublin last week.

“Words matter, and it is important that his words are clarified,” Ní Mhurchú told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland. She had been “surprised and saddened” by the comments.

However, party colleague Dublin City Councillor Niall Ring described the incident as “gotcha politics at the lowest level” and “a storm in a teacup.”

Ní Mhurchú said she respected Ahern and was fond of him and thought the comment were “out of character”.

“I just would ask Bertie to consider issuing an apology. It's really important in the current climate that we're in that words that are spoken are clarified to the nth degree and I appreciate Bertie has gone to great lengths to explain the context of what he said and I've listened to the full interview that was recorded without his permission, but nonetheless the words as they stand themselves are not words that represent my views and my opinions and that has seen a fall and I agree with the Taoiseach that we can't be calling out a certain ethnicity we cannot be calling out a certain race or a certain country it is very unhelpful and as I say I was extremely surprised and saddened and I really would like, and it's only my humble opinion ,I really would like if an apology was issued by him because apologies do matter particularly in the current climate.”

Ring said it was important to consider the comments in the “overall context”.

“If we start cancelling and looking for apologies based on a 10-second clip taken out of context, nobody would be safe from the woke brigade .

“It's really a storm in a teacup. What Bertie was saying actually reflects the concerns and the realities. He was speaking bluntly about the speed and scale of migration, and it's the reality he was talking about, and if the political establishment aren't able for the reality, they should look at themselves.

Ring acknowledged that the comments about Muslims and the Congo were “probably ill-judged”.

EU Commissioner Michael McGrath has said that he does not believe Ahern is racist, but he clearly should not have said what he did during a byelection canvass in Dublin.

Speaking on Newstalk’s Claire Byrne show, the former Fianna Fáil Minister for Finance said it was important for everyone to uphold the fundamental rights of non-discrimination and the integrity of every human being

“I think it's important that all of us do our best every day to uphold those values, because it's when we start speaking about an entire group of people based on race or colour or ethnicity, it's a very slippery slope, and I think we have to avoid language that is divisive, that can be interpreted a certain way, even if that's not the intention.

“I don't believe for a moment that Bertie Ahern is racist. I just don't believe that. I've known him a long time, but he clearly shouldn't have said what he said. Whether he actually believed it, I don't know.”

When asked if he thought Ahern should apologise, McGrath said it was not for him to call on somebody to apologise for what they have said.

“I think he has responded, but clearly it shouldn't have been said, because it does run contrary to our values. We should never shy away from having a debate about migration, and that's a debate that's happening throughout the European Union, by the way, and the EU has been responding with new policies, including a migration and asylum pact.

“We also recognise that most people coming into Ireland and coming into the EU from outside are here to make a contribution, make an economic contribution, and come through the regulated permit and visa system that is there.

“I think having a conversation is perfectly legitimate, but what you can't do is speak about an entire group of people based on their race, country of origin, ethnicity, and to speak of them in a disparaging manner, that is a slippery slope and is one that we really shouldn't be going down.”