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

So for some posters. Musk does a Nazi salute and that's grand. Trump literally advocated clearing out Gaza and that's grand too. But Middledy shows some empathy for both sides of a conflict and advocates for peace and that's wrong!

Which posters said that?

So would you have been OK with him mentioning Oct 7, the hostages, etc so long as Gaza was kept out of it?

It's just whataboutery....we're talking about what he did say.

When anyone decides to bring up the holocaust when discussing Gaza or vice versa, it's incredibly disingenuous to suggest that they're not doing it as some kind of gotcha...

Yes God forbid he advocate for peace on both sides! But Miggledy is Irish so you know, fair game...

Again...peace on both sides? In why that particular conflict?

So, reading between the lines, what you are saying is that Israel has no right to exist and was only created as a result of the Holocaust and that there is no case for the existence of Israel.

First correction;
I think you will find that many believe Israel’s right to exist is based on a biblical promise and not as a result of the Holocaust. You may think that is absurd, but it is a legitimate claim.

Let’s not forget that all these years on, there has been international recognition for the State of Israel; even the PLO accepted that Israel had a right to exist.

Why do you think Israel is the only state that limits coexistence in the Middle East?

Why should Israel be the only state criticising or blaming itself for wrongdoing? Do you believe that if it withdraws its claim of legitimacy, there will be mutual coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians?

Second correction;
From a historical and factual point of view, you seem to think the Middle East conflict didn’t exist before WW2.

Prejudice against and hatred of Jews is the result of the breakdown of the Ottoman Empire, traditional Islamic society and European influence and, more importantly, resentment over Jewish nationalism. There are volumes of antisemitic literature published in the Arab world, and it is this Islamic antisemitism that legitimised the hatred of Jews throughout the Middle East decades before WW2.

This is in addition to pogroms against Jews before the establishment of the State of Israel throughout Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Yemen.

After the promulgation of the Nuremberg Laws, Hitler received telegrams of congratulations from all over the Arab and Muslim world, especially from Morocco and Palestine.

The only thing that ties the Arab nations together on the political left or right is their hatred of Israel and Jews. Why? Because Israel represents Western values and challenges political power in the Middle East.

Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestinian territories have denied the Holocaust, indoctrinated against Jews, spread conspiracy theories about Jews, deported Jews for showing visible signs of Judaism, expelled Jews and murdered Jews.

You might be happy to toe the line’ and remove even the most basic expectations and responsibilities without questioning anything the Palestinians or other Arab nations do or say. I will not. They are fully accountable for the misery and suffering of their people, and until they acknowledge their historical and present-day wrongdoings, why should we advocate peace on their behalf?

It's nothing to do with him being Irish and everything to do with how Irish Jews feel with antisemitism rife in your once green and pleasant land.

I was at this event. I am a Jewish and Irish. I love Ireland very much but the Irish government (and in particular, Micheal D Higgins) is doing his very best to make us feel not welcome over the last year.

On an individual level, I have non Jewish Irish friends and they are lovely.

When I heard the President was attending, I debated not going. But in the end I decided he is not going to chase me out of an event that is very meaningful for me, since I have family who died in the Holocaust.

Last year, I attended and he of course bought in Gaza, which I felt was extremely inappropriate. I regretted not walking out.

This year, I decided that I would attend, but walk out if he made it into a political speech about Gaza.

Many people in the Irish Jewish community were gobsmacked that he was asked back. Apart from last years speech, he has done some other awful things such as this https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vkw7vg727o

The Jewish Rep Council, the Chief Rabbi, and the Israeli ambassador all asked him not to attend. Tomi Reichenthal, a holocaust survivor who also spoke at the event, asked him not to politicise his speech. HEI did not think it appropriate to rescind the invitation. A lot of people in the Jewish community are very very upset with HEI. (In addition to asking the president to speak, for the first time in ten years the Israeli ambassador to Ireland was not asked to speak)

I was hopeful that he would speak in a respectful manner and most of it was fine. Although 'attempted genocide'???? Well, I suppose the Nazis didn't get every last one of us. Calling (the very horrible and sad events) in Gaza a genocide and the Holocaust an 'attempted genocide' is making a mockery of the english language.

However, people only started turning their backs and walking out at this point in the speech.

'It is to be hoped that those in Israel who mourn their loved ones, those who have been waiting for the release of hostages, or the thousands searching for relatives in the rubble in Gaza will welcome the long-overdue ceasefire for which there has been such a heavy price paid...'

Others walked out when the security made the inexplicable decision to physically pull out protesters who were turning their backs, starting with two women, one of whom was both pregnant and has family held hostage in Gaza. (she is not the one in the video that is being circulated)

Some other people than walked out when they saw people being pulled out. People who had turned their backs walked out rather than be pulled out.

I walked out myself. I was allowed back in after about 20 minutes with some other people who walked out.

Since then I have waited for SOMETHING from the Irish government. An apology of some sort? I am still waiting.

reading the comments on some of the articles linked here, it is clear that Irish people don't get why this is so offensive.

I have heard from some of my friends that that their non Jewish Irish friends have apologised to them so its not everyone.

Irish people posting here - have you ever met a Jewish person living in Ireland?

Wow that's absolutely shocking to read.

Thanks for posting

I walked out and it wasn't planned as a stunt.

There was discussion about what people should do.

Some people who normally attend didn't come at all.

Some people walked out.

Some people turned their back.

Some people didn't want to disrupt the event and sat their feeling horrible.

We all hoped that the President would listen to our community and not politicise the event. He didn't. It was not a decision people took lightly.

I'd have walked out if I'd been there

Are you Jewish? the only non Jewish person who walked out was the spouse of a Jewish person.

Yes

Thank you for your post.

Although I like to think that even if I wasn't Jewish, I'd have still walked out

I appreciate hearing your first hand experience and I'm sorry you were subjected to this ordeal. Unfortunately some on this thread aren't going to listen or try & understand your point of view. But don't let that ever stop you speaking out. I support all Irish Jews.

@Jewishcraic I’m sorry that the Presidents remarks caused offence to you and others and glad that there was no concerted insult to the elected head of state.

Thank you for your account I've always agreed he should not have mentioned Gaza in his speech and could have kept it more general. I don't think it came from a bad or antisemitic place though. As someone from Ireland you would be aware of how accessible our elected representative are and I would encourage you to address your feelings with them there is clearly a lot of learning here. The Jewish community in Ireland is very small and yes most would not have met a Jewish person and would definitely not consider themselves antisemitic but more needs to be done it seems to educate people on what antisemitism is. I personally have grown up with Jewish neighbours and was friends with Jewish people. I know you asked that in your post. Do you think that's part of the problem?

in your once green and pleasant land.
No need to be so patronising.

@Jewishcraic would you agree with this poster that antisemitism is rife in Ireland? Or would it be comparable to anywhere else?

Dulra I wasn't being patronising at all. I spent many happy visits to Dublin when DD was studying there.

Apologies I thought you were suggesting the opposite to the song lyric

Thank you for your post . I’m very sorry the Irish president did this.
If I was there I would have walked out. ( I’m not Jewish)

The Jewish people I know who have met with Michael D recently have just been harangued about Gaza. Instead of talking about other things. You know, because Jews living in Ireland have direct powers to stop wars happening in the Middle East.

I was thinking of writing to one of my TDs about this.

If Michael D is not antisemitic he is just incredibly stupid. He was asked not to politicise his talk but insisted on doing so, despite knowing it would be painful for so many people to have this event hijacked.

@Jewishcraic

What did he say last year at the event?

I was thinking of writing to one of my TDs about this.
Do or even go and see them at their clinic.

I know someone in foreign affairs who knows only too well what a loose cannon he can be. They have been on a number of overseas trips with him and he always oversteps the mark on his actual role.