A Holocaust memorial ceremony in Dublin was disrupted after Jewish attendees were forced to leave for protesting Irish President Michael Higgins’ remarks about Gaza.
In his speech, Higgins commemorated the Holocaust and lamented Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as well as the civilian death toll in Gaza. He also wished for an end to what he called the “horrific loss of life and destruction which has taken place.”
According to the local reports, several attendees walked out or stood and turned their backs when Higgins mentioned the war in Gaza directly. Murmurs and unrest in the crowd are audible in footage of the speech that has circulated online.
“It is to be hoped, I believe, 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,” he said.
According to local reports, some Jewish leaders had not wanted Higgins to speak at the event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day because of his past criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. But he had rebuffed the request, saying he had always opposed antisemitism.
Higgins met with Holocaust survivors before his speech, which he began by condemning the Holocaust and advocating for human rights.
Following the speech, some of the protesters said they did not necessarily disagree with Higgins’ sentiments but viewed the ceremony as an inappropriate place to air them.
“You don’t know my political opinions about Israel. I’m very critical about the Israeli state and what is happening here. I’m not supportive of anything,” Lior Tibet, an Israeli-Irish Holocaust researcher, told reporters. Tibet was filmed asking, “Why are you removing me?” while being dragged out of the hall.
“I would want to see the war ended 13 months before and all the hostages back,” Tibet told a radio station. “None of my Israeli and Jewish friends are responsible to that and to see Higgins hijacking our commemoration event is just unbearable.”
Some of the protesters later reentered and the ceremony concluded without further interruption, according to local reports.
The incident marked the latest development in deepening tensions over Israel in Ireland, which has aggressively criticized Israel’s war in Gaza and recognized the state of Palestine over Israeli objections. The Israeli government recently announced it would shutter its embassy in Dublin in response.
Israeli and Irish officials disputed whether the outgoing ambassador had been invited to the Holocaust memorial ceremony, at which no representative of the Israeli government spoke, in a departure from previous years.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
