Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has said that the councillors who made controversial comments about the accommodating of asylum seekers in Rosscahill should be subjected to the full disciplinary process.
Mr Andrews told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that he had been very disappointed by the language used by the councillors and that their comments were “really untypical” of the membership of the party.
“You can dismiss what I have to say because I'm from Dublin or whatever. Éamon Ó Cuív for 50 years has been in the heart of Connemara. He has seen how communities have managed with the influx of Afghanis, of Syrians throughout the West Coast. And the comments that were made are really, really disappointing.
“I mean, the message of Christmas, the message of the Nativity is about a middle Eastern family looking for accommodation. That is part of the central message of Christianity. And I think our own party, Fianna Fáil, we’ve always drawn our values from the idea of Protestant Catholic in the centre, of Daniel O'Connell, talking about the irrelevance of colour, clime or creed and treating all the children of the nation equally.
“These are the kind of things that bind the party together. Ireland is one of the least populated countries in the European Union. It's one of the wealthiest countries in the world. So I think we could manage. I think we can't draw the ladder up behind us.”
When asked about comments made by Cllr Noel Thomas on Morning Ireland, that he was more entitled to his place in Fianna Fáil than Micheál Martin, Mr Andrews that he thought Cllr Thomas should be subjected to a disciplinary process. He was entitled to make his case, to his good name, to his political reputation, but the disciplinary process was appropriate as he would be given the opportunity to make his case.
There was a danger that such comments were feeding into a far right narrative, and he said he wanted to see “clear distance” between Fianna Fáil’s position and the comments expressed by the councillor.
