Richard Boyd Barrett Condemns Government Inaction on Palestine
Richard Boyd Barrett spoke in the Dáil on 19 November 2025, condemning the government's response to Israel's actions in Palestine and urging passage of a bill to impose sanctions. He accused the government and the EU of moral and political failure, praised hundreds of thousands who have mobilised nationwide, and called for boycott and sanctions.
He opened by thanking colleagues in Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and Independent colleagues who co-sponsored the motion, and Frances Black for her long-standing work on the bill. He praised the "hundreds of thousands of people" who have repeatedly mobilised in every city, town, village and hamlet against what he described as the genocidal horror inflicted on the Palestinian people.
He accused the new minister of deliberately avoiding the Dáil appearance as a "studied exercise in contempt" designed to deny the debate media attention and to evade democratic scrutiny. He said the government has been "mouthing solidarity, but doing absolutely nothing," failing to impose a single sanction on the State of Israel despite repeated public pressure and prior election promises.
He described his own long-term advocacy for sanctions, saying he has campaigned for them since 1987 after witnessing conditions in Palestine, and argued that Zionism has aimed at ethnic cleansing and apartheid against Palestinians. He urged the passage of the bill, said the State of Israel should face far stronger measures and called for a complete boycott, or at minimum that the government honour the commitments it previously made.
He criticised international actors and the EU for double standards, contrasting rapid imposition of "19 different rounds of sanctions" in other cases with the absence of measures against Israel. He accused the United States of complicity, described Israel as acting as an outpost of US foreign policy, and cited public remarks attributed to Donald Trump and Joe Biden as evidence of external pressure and strategic alignment. He closed by demanding the Dáil pass the bill and finally act on the issue.
Support and public mobilisation
He opened by thanking colleagues in Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and Independent colleagues who co-sponsored the motion, and Frances Black for her long-standing work on the bill. He praised the "hundreds of thousands of people" who have repeatedly mobilised in every city, town, village and hamlet against what he described as the genocidal horror inflicted on the Palestinian people.
Accusation of contempt and inaction by government
He accused the new minister of deliberately avoiding the Dáil appearance as a "studied exercise in contempt" designed to deny the debate media attention and to evade democratic scrutiny. He said the government has been "mouthing solidarity, but doing absolutely nothing," failing to impose a single sanction on the State of Israel despite repeated public pressure and prior election promises.
Sanctions, boycott and historical campaigning
He described his own long-term advocacy for sanctions, saying he has campaigned for them since 1987 after witnessing conditions in Palestine, and argued that Zionism has aimed at ethnic cleansing and apartheid against Palestinians. He urged the passage of the bill, said the State of Israel should face far stronger measures and called for a complete boycott, or at minimum that the government honour the commitments it previously made.
International role and double standards
He criticised international actors and the EU for double standards, contrasting rapid imposition of "19 different rounds of sanctions" in other cases with the absence of measures against Israel. He accused the United States of complicity, described Israel as acting as an outpost of US foreign policy, and cited public remarks attributed to Donald Trump and Joe Biden as evidence of external pressure and strategic alignment. He closed by demanding the Dáil pass the bill and finally act on the issue.
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Transcript
Thanks. Can I thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, Labour Party and Independent colleagues who have supported and co-sponsored this motion. Can I thank Frances Black for her ongoing efforts since she instigated this bill in 2018. Most importantly, can I thank the hundreds of thousands of people in this country who have mobilised again and again and again in unprecedented protests in every city, town, village, hamlet of the country, mobilising again and again and again against the genocidal horror that Israel has been inflicting on the Palestinian people over the last two years. And all of those people, Minister, can see the political, the moral bankruptcy of this government when it comes to the issue of Palestine. It really is shameful, the speech that was given. I mean, it actually starts with the failure of the Minister to come in here, the new Minister. Now people need to understand, who are not familiar with how this place works, that was a studied exercise in contempt designed to make sure that this debate didn't get any media coverage by the Minister not coming in. That's why they did it, because they didn't want it to get attention. Even though it was clear it was the issue that she was under pressure on, because she spoke about it yesterday, not even television, said she was going in to talk to her government colleagues about it today, but didn't bother to come in to the Dáil where it's being discussed, the democratically elected chamber of this House to discuss it. It studied exercise in contempt and it speaks volumes about the government strategy on this issue for years, for years, speaking out of both sides of their mouth on the issue of Palestine. Mouthing solidarity, but doing absolutely nothing. Nothing. Not a single sanction against the State of Israel. I have been campaigning, advocating sanctions on Israel since 1987, when I was in Palestine, because I was so shocked at the regime that exists there, about the endemic racism and apartheid against the Palestinian people. And there has been people campaigning in this country all those years, more than 30 years, demanding the end of impunity to the State of Israel for the ongoing crimes it's been committing since 1948. In fact, the Zionist movement committing crimes against Palestinians since before 1948. And being explicit about it. Zionism is clear. They intend to ethnically cleanse Palestine. It is genocidal in its very nature and character. Decades of ethnic cleansing, of apartheid, of apartheid, the siege of Gaza, and then the genocide of the last two years. And still not a single sanction from this government. And the bankruptcy of the EU is equally on display. Whereas, last night, Minister the Taoiseach came in here and said it was absolutely essential to impose sanctions. And they imposed 19 different rounds of sanctions. And that was done almost instantaneously. The double standards are absolutely clear and apparent, Minister. And it is only really because of the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people that we've got. It's not even a ceasefire. I mean, they killed 13 people in Lebanon last night. They've killed about 260 people since the so-called ceasefire, which was forced on Israel and on Donald Trump. That's what happened. Even Trump admitted it. When he said, I rang up Netanyahu and said, we can't take on the world. That's what he said. They were forced into the ceasefire. In the minister's speech, he said, oh, we thank the United States for their efforts in bringing about a ceasefire. Are you joking me? Israel could not continue the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the illegal settlements, and the genocidal horror it is inflicted on Gaza, were it not. It's not complicity is too weak of a word. They are simply acting as an outpost of US foreign policy. Something Biden admitted when he said, if Israel did not exist, the United States would have to invent it. We would have to station US troops in the Middle East because it's all about American colonial and imperial control of that region, collaborating with brutal dictatorships and then with the state of Israel as their military watchdog to slap down any attempt by the people of that region to assert their right to self-determination. That's what it's about. And it's absolutely shocking that you have failed to do anything about it. But that's the truth. You're dancing to the tune of Trump and so on, but you are showing utter contempt for the people of this country, for democracy, for the promises you made, solemn promises. You were forced to make them in the run-up to the election because you knew what the people of this country wanted and demanded. So you said it before the election and then you roll back on it and do absolutely nothing because you're dancing to the tune of Trump. The US administration is shameful. So end this shameful failure to act and finally act against this regime for its criminal, criminal brutality, oppression and genocidal actions against the Palestinian people and pass this bill. You should be doing a hell of a lot more. We should be completely boycotting the state of Israel, but can you at least do what you said you'd do? Thank you. Now, thank you Deputy Boyd.