People Before Profit has condemned Micheál Martin for his failure to challenge Donald Trump at his meeting with him in the White House today.
Richard Boyd Barrett said:
“The scene in the White House was, as we predicted, a pathetic failure by Micheál Martin to challenge Donald Trump's ravings and his justifications for a blatantly illegal and murderous war. It was a thoroughly embarrassing performance by the Taoiseach, giving Trump the legitimacy of Ireland's national day to boast about his bombing and killing spree that has set the entire Middle East on fire and is imposing a severe economic cost on ordinary people in this country and across the world.
“It's truly shocking that Micheál Martin said Trump was doing his bit (for peace) in Gaza when he is perpetrating war crimes, and is doing so alongside an Israeli regime that is in the dock for genocide against Palestinians and is continuing its murderous attacks in Gaza, and now slaughtering people in Lebanon and Iran as well.”
Paul Murphy said:
“Micheál Martin once again failed to speak truth to power - speaking about the Iranian people's wishes for peace, while ignoring the fact he was seated a metre away from the man responsible for the deadly war being waged against Iran. Over 1,400 people have been killed in Iran, including an estimated 170 schoolgirls bombed by the US in their classrooms, and Micheál Martin didn’t have a word to say about it to the man responsible, seated beside him.
“The Taoiseach’s reference to Trump doing his bit for peace in the Middle East was a disgusting betrayal of the attitudes of people in Ireland who are horrified by Trump's active support for genocide and war in the region.
“Micheál Martin once more proved that currying favour with Trump is more important to the Irish government than human rights or any semblance of an independent foreign policy”.