Earlier this month, Irish President Higgins told the Late Late show audience that segregating children in the North according to their religious denominations is “abandoning them to parcels of hate and memory that others are manipulating”.
“Who in 2021 can justify the teaching of children separately on the basis of belief? Is it important if you talk about an ethical present and an ambitious future that you deal with it,” Higgins said, reports to The Irish Times.
According to a post on the Aontu Facebook page, Aontu Leader Peadar Toibin TD called President Higgins “parcels of hate” remarks extremely ill advised and calls President Higgins to withdraw them.
Toibin says “Catholic schools have achieved great results in terms of fighting disadvantage.” Catholic schools have done a really good job of integrating Portuguese, Polish and Lithuanian children into their class rooms and communities.”
The Liberal has also received correspondence from a Catholic person who wishes to remain private, educated in a Catholic school in Northern Ireland during the “troubles”. This person routinely had to pass British army barracks and checkpoints on their way to their Catholic primary and secondary school every day. Catholic school children were shot dead and many injured during the conflict.
This person and many of the classmates were caught in live ammunition crossfire and testifies at no time were teachers ever promoting hate. “On the contrary, we were told to love our enemy and respect all human life. Never were we taught to hate. President Higgins must apologise for his divisive, calculated remarks which are designed to push his anti-Christian, liberal agenda.
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