Is it right to use Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration to make points about the situation in Gaza?

[OpheliaWasntMad]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg8jvkk05no

I don’t think it is acceptable. I think it’s wrong to use this occasion to make a point about Gaza.
The families of victims of the Holocaust deserve to have the day devoted to their memories.

Absolutely not. And Higgins was asked not to attend the memorial and when he did, made it all about himself and his politics.
Some Jewish attendees were so appalled they turned their backs on him and were brutally bundled out of the memorial. It was disgusting to witness.
There is no room for politics at a Holocaust Memorial. And Higgins should be ashamed of himself, but of course he's not.

Absolutely unequivocally no. It’s remembrance of the Holocaust. One day out of 365 to remember the over 6 million people that were murdered.

Every other day it can be about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Absolutely. Higgins is an embarrassment.

Silencing Jewish critics at a memorial for Jewish genocide?

Damn!

No it wasn’t. He could have mentioned the other groups affected by the nazis like the Roma etc but shoehorning in Gaza was crass and reflects really badly on the president and his team. Id be furious if the King made the same kind of sanctimonious tone deaf speech whilst purporting to be non-political. Icing on the cake was the silent protestor being dragged out of the room.

Disgusting

We shouldn't be surprised, I know.

The King had more sense and empathy to ever consider doing this. He went to Auschwitz instead. Higgins could learn a lot from him.

No. We remember the horror of the event and the people who died. Not piggyback todays failures on yesterday's atrocities

The whole thing is bloody weird, I have also observed people with right wing tendencies encouraging lighting candles in remembrance of holocaust victims, whereas a few years ago they would have been excusing hitler for some heinous reason.
The remembrance of what happened to the Jews should be kept exactly as that and not used for point scoring by anyone but sadly we live in an age where everything is ’fair game’ and we have freedom of (hate) speech etc

I agree . It’s a day to honour the victims and their families, to share their stories, to acknowledge the poisonous nature of anti semitism and to reflect on how terrifyingly fragile our civilisation is.
Not a day for virtue signalling egotistical politicians to use for their own ends. .

I agree- lots of things seem upside down nowadays

No.

I’m assuming that all the posters who are critical of President Higgins have actually read his speech but maybe not.
https://president.ie/en/media-library/speeches/speech-at-national-holocaust-memorial-day-commemoration

Yes....and?

The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) was at Auschwitz

‘One of the cruellest aspects of the new antisemitism is its perverse use of the Holocaust as a stick to beat ‘the Jews.’

Shameful, what is wrong with the government of Ireland? How did they allow this to happen?

Just wait for an onslaught of comments; we will all be accused of deflecting criticism of Israel. The sole objective of some on MN is to argue and win, not listen and share views. Please don't give them the satisfaction. Let us remember the 6 million Jewish men, women, children and other groups who lost their lives during the Holocaust.

And Higgins was asked not to attend the memorial and when he did,
He was invited to attend and to speak as he has done at every Holocaust memorial since he became President

Higgins is an embarrassment
To who? Are you Irish?

No. It's horrifying that the one day for the worst modern genocide in history committed against the Jews has been hijacked for antisemitic purposes

Who asked him not to attend?