Leaders of left-wing parties and independents launched the campaign of presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly in Dublin on Monday night at an event that stressed her advocacy for Palestine, her commitment to neutrality and social justice – as well as the opportunity to deliver a blow to the Government.
Labour’s Marie Sherlock said the meeting was very much about creating a left-wing political platform.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns described Ms Connolly as “incredibly warm and sound”. Ms Cairns said she would “always speak truth to power”.
She said that Ms Connolly was the only candidate who would stand up for neutrality.
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Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, often fiercely criticised by many present when he was in government, said the Ms Connolly has “always used her voice for those who don’t have a voice”.
“I don’t believe this is the left uniting, I think Catherine united us,” said Senator Eileen Flynn.
People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy said that other candidates would just “nod along” to the Government’s agenda.
“This is your opportunity to strike a blow against Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” he said.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the united campaign was “ready to move heaven and earth” to get Ms Connolly elected.
“Catherine will be a president who champions Irish unity in our time,” she said. “Together we will say in this campaign, ‘Hands off our neutrality’ ”, she added.
To the cheers of the crowd of about 250 people, Ms Connolly said that she was only “part of a movement of energy, vibrancy and vision to move the country in a different way”.
“We will show them there is another way,” she said.
Ms Connolly declined to comment on her way into the event when asked by reporters about her remarks to the BBC with regard to Hamas earlier in the day.
She had said she disagrees with the suggestion that Hamas can have no role in a future Palestinian state, saying this was a matter for Palestinians to decide themselves.
Asked about Mr Starmer’s view that Hamas could not be involved in a Palestinian government, she said: “Hamas is part of the fabric of the Palestinian people, and we – it’s interesting and really cynical that we never imposed sanctions on Israel, who are carrying out genocide, so we need to have an honest discussion.”
“I come from Ireland, a history of colonisation, and I would be very wary of telling a sovereign people how to run their country. The Palestinians must decide in a democratic way who they want to lead their country.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin criticised her comments, saying Hamas had “broken every humanitarian law and cannot be part of Gaza’s future”.
Speaking to reporters at the United Nations in New York on Monday he said there should be “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas if we’re trying to chart future for a Palestinian state, with guarantees for Israel into the future”.
“Hamas is not that option because Hamas has consistently refused to recognise an Israeli state and are vowed and committed to the elimination of an Israeli state.”
The Social Democrats, who have backed Ms Connolly’s presidential campaign, said that while they “would not have used the same language as Catherine” the party believes “it is up to the Palestinian people to decide who their political representatives should be, following free and fair elections”.
Labour’s Alan Kelly said he expects Ms Connolly will have to withdraw the remarks while presidential candidate Jim Gavin said he was “surprised” by the comments, but added Ms Connolly had acknowledged “the atrocities and horrific crimes that Hamas committed over two years ago”.
