The Ancient Order of the Hibernians, has denounced the GOP’s defaming St. Patrick’s Day tweet, picturing Democrat presidential runner Beto O’Rourke, which promoted insulting stereotypes of Irish Americans

In a statement submitted to Irish Central by the National Anti-Defamation Chairman of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), Neil F. Cosgrove, the Irish American Catholic organization said they are "shocked and appalled" by the tweet sent from the GOP Twitter account.

They said they were stunned that “on St. Patrick’s Day, a day when America celebrates and honors the contributions that Irish Americans have made to our great country, the GOP would launch an attack on a prospective presidential candidate based solely on his Irish Heritage.”

This is the tweet in question:

On this St. Paddy's Day, a special message from noted Irishman Robert Francis O'Rourke. pic.twitter.com/JRjMEXhZRY

— GOP (@GOP) March 17, 2019

Founded in 1836 with some 40,000 members covering 47 states, the AOH is the oldest and largest Irish-Catholic organization in the United States

The AOH wrote:

Such a scurrilous, stereotype laced  attack is more in keeping with the 19th century “Native American Party”, aka “The Know Nothings”, then the party of Lincoln who wept when he kissed a regimental flag of the Irish Brigade in honor of the sacrifice that so many sons of Erin had made in America’s Civil War.

“This offensive meme is nothing more than a 21st-century version of the scurrilous anti-Irish cartoons of Thomas Nast.

“As America’s oldest and largest Irish Catholic organization, founded in 1836 in response to anti-Irish bigotry, the Hibernians had hoped that the days when a candidate’s Irish ancestry would be used as a campaign fodder were confined to the dark past; that today American political debate focuses on the issues, not the ancestry of a candidate.

“Sadly, this toxic tweet from the GOP proves we were optimistic and premature in our beliefs.

The statement continues, “The Ancient Order of Hibernians suggests that those responsible for this exercise in prejudice for political ends read the President’s recent proclamation of Irish American Heritage month.  The Hibernians ask that the Republican National committee denounce this tweet defaming Irish Americans and their heritage, censure those responsible and offer a clear and unambiguous apology to the Irish American community.”