Richard Boyd Barrett criticises EU 'fortress' migration policy
Richard Boyd Barrett challenged EU migration policy after the discovery of 39 people killed in the back of a container truck, arguing the bloc's 'fortress' approach bears responsibility and must be re-examined. He also criticised the EU's deal with Turkey and urged condemnation of Spain's jailing of nine people linked to the Catalonia referendum.
Condemnation of the container truck deaths
The speaker called the deaths of 39 people in a container truck a "horrific and unspeakable tragedy" and said it should bring shame if the country had any part in those deaths. He suggested the victims may have passed through the state and pressed that EU immigration policies bear some responsibility for such outcomes.
Critique of EU migration policy and the Turkey deal
He characterised EU strategy as "fortress immigration policies" and argued Europe must look at its role in the deaths of thousands, including nearly 40,000 in the Mediterranean over recent years. He described the financial deal with the Turkish regime - the payment of billions of euros to enforce border control - as "absolutely immoral" and asked whether those resources could be implicated in other regional violence.
Catalonia jailing and police response
He criticised the EU's failure to condemn the Spanish government's decision to jail nine people for organising a referendum in Catalonia, calling it evidence of moral and democratic bankruptcy. He urged condemnation of police violence against peaceful demonstrators protesting the jailing and defended the right to peaceful self-determination under international law.
Government response and diplomatic follow-up
The minister responded by expressing upset at the deaths and stressing support for mechanisms to assist frontline states, citing Operation Sophia and opting in to taking 4,000 migrants, though the target has not yet been reached. The minister said officials are engaging with UK counterparts to establish whether the victims passed through Ireland and to understand how the incident occurred so it cannot happen again.
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As I said earlier, Minister, the death of 39 people in the back of a container truck is really just a horrific and unspeakable tragedy and it should bring shame on us if this country played any part in those deaths and that those people very likely passed through this country. Do you accept that the European Union's immigration policies, fortress immigration policies, bear some responsibility for that tragedy and indeed for the deaths of probably close to 40,000 people over the last six or seven years in the Mediterranean and that it's time for Europe to look to itself in terms of its responsibility for the deaths of thousands and thousands of people? of desperate people fleeing war, famine, hunger or desperate economic circumstances. Secondly, do you not think that Europe now must take pause and indeed, do you think that Europe must take very serious pause for thought about what I believe is an absolutely immoral deal with the Turkish regime, giving it giving it giving it billions of euros to effectively enforce fortress Europe policies to keep desperate immigrants out and indeed that those resources may well now be supporting the Turkish assault on the on the Kurds. What does the government think of that and do you accept that that policy, that really immoral policy should now be examined? Do you accept that the failure of the European Union to condemn the Spanish government's decision to jail nine people for organising a referendum in Catalonia? It just shows a degree of moral and democratic bankruptcy on the part of Europe that it's willing to turn a blind eye to just a really staggering level of political repression for people who did nothing more than organise a referendum. And will you condemn the ferocious, brutal violence of the police and so on attacking peaceful demonstrators who have been out protesting about the jailing of nine political leaders who are simply trying to express what is a right under international law, the right to peaceful self-determination? In terms of the issues of the migrants, I have to say I find this quite upsetting and I think anybody who dies in such a manner, it's a failure on all of us and I think it's an extremely frustrating conversation that I have been having with my colleagues over the past number of months and indeed for the past two years when it comes up to the General Affairs Council. We do and want to support any mechanisms that are put in place as a country, we're obviously not to the forefront like many of the countries like Greece, like Spain, like Italy are, but obviously we have a role to play and we have a duty to make sure that our voices are heard and that where there is unfair practices or where we see issues like this arising or where people are dying in this manner, that we speak up and say that it is a failure on all of our parts that this has happened. So I think it's important now that as a European Union, we work together, we try to ensure that those that are geographically at the forefront of all of this, that we support them and I think as a country we have tried to do that, be it through Operation Sophia, be it through the fact that we opted in to taking 4,000 migrants. Now obviously we're not at that figure yet, but we will continue where we can to support and to bring as many over as we can, particularly on that issue. And my understanding is that Minister Flanagan and indeed our justice section is engaging with officials in the UK to obviously see what has happened to, you know, while it's, it's my understanding is that they possibly have come through Ireland. We need to find that out for sure and we obviously need to understand how this happened, how it was let happen and that it doesn't happen again. As I said, anybody to die in that way, it's, it's simply not acceptable. Thank you very much Minister. Thank you very much.
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