Join the Condemnation of Irish Lawmaker Catherine Connolly for ‘Jewish Supremacy’ Remarks

Jewish and pro-Israel groups in Ireland are demanding that Catherine Connolly — the deputy speaker of the lower house (Dáil Éireann) of the country’s legislature (Oireachtas) — be disciplined for her recent comments in which she used the term “Jewish supremacy” in reference to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

In a parliamentary question, Connolly — an independent TD — asked Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney “if his Department by indicating support for the Jewish character of the Israeli state agrees with the treatment of Israel of Palestinian communities in its attempts to accomplish Jewish supremacy” and “whether these attempts to perpetuate the supremacy of Jews over Palestinians amount to apartheid.”

Coveney replied that he “respect[s] the strong connection between the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

“By their very nature, all states have certain inherent characteristics,” he noted, citing “socialist, democratic, united, Islamic, Arab or Jewish” as examples, but emphasized that these states should have “full respect for the equal rights of all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or other similar factors.”

Jewish Representative Council of Ireland Chair Maurice Cohen said Connolly “strayed into classic antisemitic language by perpetuating the trope of ‘Jewish supremacy.’”

Cohen referred to researcher David Collier’s report on the pervasiveness of antisemitism in Ireland, and he urged, among other recommendations, that the Oireachtas and all Irish political parties “immediately adopt the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of antisemitism to which the government is already a European signatory.”

The Ireland Israel Alliance called Connolly’s question “one more example of attempts to mainstream the oldest form of bigotry and hatred within Irish society.”

In a letter to Peter Finnegan — the most senior civil servant in the Oireachtas — and Dáil Éireann Speaker Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Ireland Israel Alliance Founder and Executive Director Jackie Goodall wrote, “That Deputy Connolly is ignorant of the fact that the term ‘Jewish supremacy’ is a well-known dog whistle suggesting Jews are trying to take over the world and control the banking systems etc. is a matter of conjecture, but this blatant display of antisemitism must be called out without delay, and Deputy Connolly called to account.”

Furthermore, the Ireland Israel Alliance urged supporters to send their own brief and polite emails to Finnegan (peter.finnegan@oireachtas.ie) and Ó Fearghaíl (ceann.comhairle@oireachtas.ie) calling for action regarding Connolly’s comments.