Taoiseach Micheál Martin has distanced Fianna Fáil from remarks on immigration made by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, saying the comments do not reflect the views of the party.
Ahern was covertly filmed during a doorstep conversation while out canvassing for Dublin Central by-election candidate John Stephens, during which he expressed concerns about immigration levels and made specific references to people arriving from African countries and to the Muslim community, reports Breaking News.
It’s understood Martin was again asked in Cork about this thoughts on Bertie Ahern’s comments and he re-iterated that they’re not party policy.
Speaking to reporters at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis on Friday, Martin said Ahern’s views “don’t represent the views of the party.”
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“We take the issue very seriously because we’ve cultivated and promoted people who come from different ethnicities, who arrived in Ireland, who are not Irish citizens, and who now participate in Irish politics, and there’s a strong membership in Fianna Fáil in that sense,” reports Breaking News.
“But we’re not stopping people from canvassing, but we are making it very clear to all our canvassers what the party position is and what is permissible and what is not permissible.”
Ahern subsequently said he regretted if anyone had been offended and acknowledged he should not have singled out any particular nationality or group, reports Breaking News.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy raised the matter during Leaders’ Questions, accusing the Government of using immigrants as scapegoats for the State’s failures. Martin responded that Ahern had stepped back from his remarks and reiterated that the party did not endorse them, adding the comments could not have been part of any political strategy as Ahern had not known he was being recorded.
Labour councillor and Galway West by-election candidate Helen Ogbu called on Ahern to apologise, saying she was dismayed by what she described as ignorant and divisive remarks, and noting that immigrants make an enormous contribution to Irish society, reports Breaking News.
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