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YouTube/VideoParliament Ireland

Duncan Smith TDs in the Dáil who throw around references to Nazis need to think again

The Labour TD reacts to Dáil debates yesterday in which references to ‘Stalinist’ and ‘Nazism’ were used.

WORDS MATTER AND they matter even more in a national parliament. This week the words “Stalinist” and “Nazism” were bandied about in the Dáil, almost casually, in order to make criticism of the Government’s approach to planning, Covid restrictions and the cancellation of the taxi drivers’ strike.

All very important and serious issues, but an accurate comparison to Hitler and the Nazis? I think not.

In a time of such crisis in the world, when Covid has radicalised members of far-right movements, it is important for those in public positions to remember words matter, context matters, history matters. World War 2 ended a mere 76 years ago. We cannot allow this flippancy around language to creep into Irish politics.

The far-right in Ireland are organised, deploying sophisticated tactics and disinformation campaigns that fundamentally seek to destabilise our democracy. They’ve used Covid-19 as a lightning rod to stoke fear and recruit allies, referring to the pandemic itself as a con, trying to undermine the seriousness of what we’re living through globally.

Their words, their tone, the context that they seek to set is a threat to us all. This is why when we talk, debate and challenge each other in our national parliament, we need to be very careful with the words that we use and the concepts that our language is intrinsically tied to. Like Nazism.

Dangerous comparisons

Equating Nazism with how we talk about the pandemic response is fundamentally incorrect, dangerous and disrespectful. The Nazis carried out the Holocaust, they murdered people of colour, gay people, the Roma Community.

They burned books, censored academia and instituted mass propaganda and fake news machinery. It was a totalitarian regime, the likes of which is hard to fathom and one I hope we never see the likes of again.

This history remains close. Only last week, there was a radio interview with a Nazi hunter. There are members of parliament whose families have been scared by the horrific acts of violence committed by the Nazis.

My colleague Senator Ivana Bacik’s grandfather was imprisoned by the Nazis. So, the casual comparison is not only wrong but deeply hurtful and offensive to the lives destroyed by this force of evil. It diminishes and denigrates the memory of their victims.

Lots of issues, like the Government response to the pandemic, require and demand passionate, robust debate. It is the absolute duty of opposition politicians to interrogate the Government’s decisions and assess judgement calls made. Debate requires both emotion and passion. Government must understand the views and experiences of our constituents.

However, this passionate, emotional debate can happen without talking about extreme nationalism. Bringing up every issue through the prism of rage and hyperbole is dangerous. Being quick to anger only serves to disengage people when we actually need to get angry about issues.

In a world of fake news and a 24-hour news cycle, we all have an obligation to be vigilant of the words we use and why we use them. In a world where those who shout louder or make a bigger, more outrageous statement are heard, even when silencing others, the parliament must lead by example. We need to set a tone for when we need to bring fervour and passion to our scrutiny, and when we need to bring rage.

Language carries weight

But what we should never do is casually throw around unfounded comparisons to Stalinism and Nazism regimes that murdered, killed, maimed and raped, leaving millions of people devastated and a world shook to its very core.

Speaking on the topic of the cancellation of the taxi drivers strike which drove Mattie McGrath to draw upon the term “Nazism”, Richard Boyd Barrett managed to speak stridently in opposition to the cancellation of this demonstration, reflecting my own view, without once needing to draw upon divisive or disrespectful language.

Unfortunately, racism is on the rise in this country. Students of history are well aware of the fact that just because something happened 76 years ago does not mean it won’t or can’t happen again.

When we have a far-right that are looking to make gains and grounds, looking to spread their system of hatred, looking for their language to be reflected in our public discourse, we need to resist their calls. We need our parliamentarians to be strong in opposing this.

People are frustrated about the lockdown, there’s no doubt about that, but we must address those concerns rather than allow their fears and anxieties to be exploited by those implementing the tactics they’ve seen benefit other far-right parties and groups elsewhere.

As a parliament, we must professionally examine each and every measure imposed on the public to ensure that it is necessary and will be effective to save lives. As a nation, we must protest the manipulation and weaponisation of language.

Accepting his re-election in Dublin Castle in October 2018, our President Michael D. Higgins said: “Words matter. Words can hurt. Words can heal. Words can empower. Words can divide.”

As a parliamentarian, I am calling on all my colleagues in the Oireachtas to lead by example. I am calling on parliamentarians to not walk down the dangerous path that other public figures have chosen to take. I am calling on parliamentarians to choose healing over hurt and empowerment over division.

Duncan Smith is a Labour Party TD first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020 for Dublin Fingal.

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    Mute Arsedoggy Onassis
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:27 PM

    Anybody the left opposes these days is called far right it’s getting predictable

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:53 PM

    @Arsedoggy Onassis: in some cases it’s true. In America for example

    47
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    Mute OnlyHereForTheComments
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:19 PM

    @Arsedoggy Onassis: This is a lazy observation, and does more to further the aims of the actual far-right than anything else.

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    Mute mark d
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    May 1st 2021, 10:21 AM

    @Arsedoggy Onassis: lolz Labour aren’t the left at all!!! Ha ha ha

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    Mute Paul Clancy
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:22 PM

    To compare the mass genocide of peoples because of their race, sexual orientation or disability to temporary inconveniences is incredible. It belittles what was a truly horrendous event for a cheap sound bite.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:41 PM

    @Paul Clancy: Jaysus, he should spend an evening on journal.ie. That would fairly open his eyes.

    81
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:10 PM

    @Paul Clancy: just shows they haven’t a clue what they are on about

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    Mute john mounsey
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:35 PM

    I would defend Deputy McGraths right to use the language he did, not everyone is articulate. Tired of the furore and preciousness of certain people who almost seem to have articles prewritten for a woke onslaught!

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:10 PM

    @john mounsey: You don’t compare the cancellation of a protest for health reasons to Nazism because you are inarticulate. McGrath knew exactly what he was doing. He’s trying to cozy up to the weak-minded muppets out there, and there are plenty of them, who have already fallen for this Gemma’esqe nonsense. It’s not the first time he and another couple of TD’s have pulled stunts like this. Preying on the gullible to hoover up a few extra votes, that’s what he’s at.

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    Mute James Godson
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    Apr 29th 2021, 7:57 PM

    @john mounsey: He makes enough money to buy a dictionary and expand his vocabulary

    21
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    Mute David Grey
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:34 PM

    I’ll never vote Labour or Green again after how they’ve acted in Government.
    However that’s a very well put together speech and I agree entirely, I’ve been guilty on the rare occasion of using that tag for a certain Right wing Party in Government before based on their history and support for both Hitler and Franco, but admit that might be too strong a word.
    The problem is that this party hates it’s past being brought up yet attacks SF because of their past, to a neutral bystander that smacks of double standards.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Apr 29th 2021, 2:44 PM

    @David Grey: Its all fun and games David, wait till the story about SF blacklisting Martina Anderson goes up. I’ll be pulling up an armchair with a big tub of popcorn for that.

    46
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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:32 PM

    @David Grey: Wait a mo, David, before you cast aspersions on the past of any party just ask who erected and who exactly was it that dedicated a statue to a certain leader that died in a Nazi submarine, and also who was it that Stalin asked about the number of bishops that were hung during our revolution? Educate yourself! People in glass houses should not throw stones!

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    Mute Munster1
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:10 PM

    In fairness banning a protest by taxi drivers who are staying in their vehicles is a bit mad.

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    Mute Mike Ruddy
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:35 PM

    Deputy McGrath was the only TD that spoke sense during the pandemic – I was wondering how long would it take the rest to discredit him. Ask Duncan Smith if the term “Witch-Hunt” is still allowed to be spoken in front of the coalition? How about the word “Accountability?”

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    Mute Seán O'Sullivan
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:40 PM

    @Mike Ruddy: mattie is a gombeen up there with the healy raes

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    Mute Mike Ruddy
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:57 PM

    @Seán O’Sullivan: Have a quick look into what the Healy-Raes own before you embarrass yourself further!

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    Mute Adrian O'Donnell
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    Apr 29th 2021, 6:50 PM

    @Mike Ruddy: he’s still a backward gombeen mouth breather

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:22 PM

    In my opinion it strikes me as odd that a clearly intelligent adult is going to such lengths to outline in such detail all the various atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis during WW2 and try draw the comparison that Mattie Mc Grath was in any way suggesting that the Irish Government were guilty of behaving in a similar manner – I mean seriously – surely he is smart enough to understand that the point wasn’t to draw a parallel to all the atrocities – the point wasn’t to cause ‘offence’ to Ivana Bacik or anyone else affected by ww2 atrocities – thats borderline ridiculous to be jumping to these comparisons – I have heard in plenty of conversations this past year – the way the state are policing restrictions – fining priests for saying mass – and then in the point yesterday refusing the right to protest has some parallels with the way Nazi Germany descended into dictatorship in the late 30′s and early 40′s – that was the point – that the police here were alleged to have refused a protest that was to be taken by taxi drivers who were intent on staying in their cars and not a risk for spreading Covid – not to mention that in actual fact taxi drivers have been very very line risk – bringing people to text centre / Vax centres / arrival passengers on way to quarantine – and the Garda were alleged to have refused the right to protest – and there is a right to peaceful protest in this country – and when that right is being questioned then drawing a parallel with our nanny state and a nazi state is not the same thing as causing offence or suggesting that this means the Irish Govt are being accused of similar atrocities – people drawing these specific comparisons and feigning ‘outrage’ are either incapable of seeing this difference or using it as a distraction from the key point – which was why the Government could not articulate clearly about our police procedures for groups arranging peaceful protests. Not about saying they are behaving like Hitler – thats actually a petty childish argument imo.

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    Mute mark d
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    May 1st 2021, 10:26 AM

    @Dave Hammond: when does the book come out?

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:17 PM

    A Taoiseach that are so ignorant of Irish history as to say Ireland was “a beacon against fascism since the foundation of the state” needs to go back and read a history book.
    Women made slaves of;
    Children sold on market;
    Children buried in tanks;

    That’s without even mentioning the blue shirts.

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    Mute Seán O'Sullivan
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:38 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: none of those things are fascism

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    Mute Ciaran O'Mara
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    May 1st 2021, 12:08 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: Ireland was such a beacon against fascism that it decided to be neutral in the world war that defeated fascism and at the same time blocked any immigration of Jews at the time.

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    Mute Rebecca BarrettNp
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:11 PM

    Absolutely disgusting remarks from Mattie McGrath, a Holocaust survivor or their families would be horrified to hear such a flippant comparison being made.

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    Mute JC
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:39 PM

    @Rebecca BarrettNp: I get that you’re a parody username, but my blood still boils when I see your name pop up here!

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    Mute Marjory Proops-Tinklebottom
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    Apr 30th 2021, 8:25 AM

    @Rebecca BarrettNp: Taking offence on behalf of others is lame.

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:56 PM

    Matty McGraths point was very valid when he said that the gardai are walking into churches to shut down mass. They stood on the altar telling old people to leave the church immediately while in the middle of prayer. The minister for health said bringing in this legislation that no priest would be fined and said he read the legislation before signing it. He ignored TD’s that told him he was wrong. Turns out he was wrong, priests have been fined and gardai have entered churches and come down hard on ordinary people akin to a Nazi state. The start of the Nazi state was like this and not the end. No country in the EU have gone this far, a judge in Scotland told their govt that measures like this were against EU laws of which our govt follows.

    When interviewed outside the the Dail he stated he asked Dr Tony if he looked into the science of churches being safe and was told “we’ll look at the lockdowns first and we’ll look at the science later on”. A journalist said to mr McGrath that there was covid clusters from graveyards gatherings. He said she was talking nonsense and he was right. There have only been 250 cases connected to outdoor settings. You can understand people are frustrated as we have the hardest and longest lockdown in Europe. There will be alot of TD’s looking for votes in the next general election and rightly so they will be told where to go by old and young people. The measures being imposed by the govt are well past what is proportional. We don’t have enough ICU beds and instead of increasing the numbers we go after normal people instead.

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    Mute Corkonian In Dublin
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    Apr 29th 2021, 3:12 PM

    This is a well written article and very timely. Framing of issues is very important something that is at a loss with all parties that are currently in government and have had been in government (or Labour) in the last 30 years. Unfortunately, the far right and the far left are gaining support through disinformation.
    A problem is trust in the centre / moderate left and moderate right has been and is being eroded by miss management, saying one thing and doing another, letting big institutions away with crimes and failures in policing their own party members.
    One other danger of all of this is that the call for an Irish exit from the EU or IREXIT is getting louder and more mainstream. If it happens it would be a disaster for Ireland, but if not tackled the country could sleep walk into it.

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    Mute Jack Purcell
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:23 PM

    So again the taxi message gets spun to drown out the real crisis within the business. Drivers received PUP payments like all other citizens. When they moved from taxi insurance to S&D cover , quite a sizable amount were given the impression that returning to taxi insurance might cost more than their existing premium (€2000 p.a,, being the lower avg) . Some of the asks by drivers are zero cost to the gov.
    A. Extend the licences to 15 years.
    B. Stop issuing vehicle licences until there`s some sign of recovery.
    Minister Ryan has announced the EV Taxi grant scheme which looks great on paper and seems like drivers are getting well looked after. In the current climate, with little or no passengers, banks are reluctant to loan to drivers regardless of grants. The EV grant isn`t open ended, it`s a finite amount which looks great for PR purposes.
    As essential service status, drivers have continued to provide a service from day 1 of covid. The reality of yesterday`s heavy handed approach was simply this, the gov. didn`t want another 2,000 + drivers showing up as did last September. Discussions with gov. after last protest were very promising but delivered nothing. Everyone has suffered during covid, drivers are no exception. I personally know 18 colleagues that covid has taken, there are more I didnt know personally. The Taxi Advisory Committee has failed on all levels and is now far removed from it`s inception. Minister Ryan has demonstrated his contempt by refusing to engage directly with drivers on numerous occasions.
    The main reason for yesterday`s jolly was simply this : we are not being heard .

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    Mute leartius
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:07 PM

    28th Feb 2018. Labour leader Alan Kelly compared the promotion of the government’s Ireland 2040 plan to the activities of Joseph Goebbels, the man who was in charge of Nazi propaganda for the Third Reich.
    FG’s Oliver James Flanagan used his maiden speech in the Dáil, on 9 July 1943, to urge the government to emulate the Nazis and “rout the Jews out of this country.. where the bees are there is honey, and where the Jews are there is money”
    De Valera formally offered his condolences to the German Minister in Dublin on the death of Adolf Hitler in 1945.

    35
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    Mute Will
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:35 PM

    “The Nazis carried out the Holocaust, they murdered people of colour, gay people, the Roma Community.”

    Odd that he never mentions the Jews, Hitler’s number one target.

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    Mute billy bound
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:01 PM

    @Will:
    He’s probably a denier

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    Mute feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:46 PM

    @Will: mentioning the Holocaust is mentioning the Jews to anyone who understands the word holocaust.

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    Mute feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:40 PM

    The Nazis killed some Catholics like Fr Maximilian Kolbe and people with disabilities if we are being accurate. However I note that the establishment parties reserve their most disrespectful behaviour for the smaller parties and generate fury by sheer bullying. I have yer to see Labour call out the Táiniste or the Taoiseach on the shocking disrespect of their parties and the evasion of their ministries.

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    Mute billy bound
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    Apr 29th 2021, 5:00 PM

    I can barely understand what that guy McGrath days at the best of times. It’s like a foreign language.

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    Mute Alan Leahy
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    Apr 29th 2021, 4:56 PM
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    Mute Brendan
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    Apr 30th 2021, 12:20 AM

    Duncan Smith is spot in in calling out careless language comparing relatively minor issues with nazism. If you downplay the casual use of words like nazism, you normalize extremism (left or right wing which are just as bad as each other).

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