Irish Jewish group shares fury at Greta Thunberg’s visit to the Irish President's residence

Hours after the anti-semitic terror attack on Bondi Beach, Ms Thunberg shared a video on social media calling on Palestinian activists to "mobilise and escalate".

The Irish Jewish Representative Council said yesterday it was ‘troubled’ by President Connolly’s decision to meet Ms Thunberg so soon after the terror attack that took 16 lives, claiming the Swedish campaigner’s rhetoric was "deeply unsettling".

In her video, Ms Thunberg called on people to support hunger-striking protesters who are detained in UK prisons, ending the piece by saying "Free Palestine". However, the young activist has faced criticism for failing to condemn or even mention the Sydney attack on her social media channels.

Ms Thunberg was in Dublin this week for an event with the League of Ireland football club Bohemians.

She was speaking at the event in solidarity with Palestine, and met with the President at Áras an Úachtaráin yesterday.

But the Irish Jewish Representative Council criticised the meeting, saying in a statement: "The days since the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach have been marked by deep concern within our community about safety, inclusion, and the future of Jewish life in Ireland.

"In this context, we are troubled by the decision of the President of Ireland, a role entrusted with representing the unity of all Irish people, to host a courtesy meeting with Greta Thunberg at Áras an Uachtaráin.

Ireland's President Catherine Connolly.

"Ms Thunberg’s recent public commentary urging people to 'mobilise and escalate' which came not long after the antisemitic incident in Bondi Beach, without clear condemnation of the terror attack, is deeply unsettling for many in our community.

"Her rhetoric has, for many Jewish people, resonated as inflammatory and lacking the sensitivity such a moment demands. In the wake of the Bondi Beach attack and the attempt to dename Herzog Park, Irish leaders emphasised the impact of words and actions on the Jewish community.

"For many, this meeting raises serious questions about whether those lessons have been genuinely understood or merely offered as reassurance without real substance. At a time of rising anti-semitism and ongoing gaps in understanding contemporary anti-semitism at senior levels, actions of this nature risk further isolating the Jewish community and undermining confidence that our concerns are genuinely heard or taken seriously."

When Extra.ie put the full statement from the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland to the Áras last night, a spokesman said they had no comment to make.

Earlier in the day, a spokesman told Extra.ie that the Office of the President received a letter from Bohemians last Friday, December 12, requesting the opportunity of a courtesy call with President Connolly as part of Ms Thunberg’s visit to Ireland, during which she is addressing an event hosted by the football club.

He said this request was accepted on Monday and the courtesy call arranged for yesterday, with notice of the courtesy call posted on the President’s official website.

He said that at the meeting – which was also attended by Bohemians’ climate justice officer Seán McCabe, climate and Palestinian rights activist Salam El Youssef and human rights campaigner Caoimhe Butterly – the President and Ms Thunberg discussed Greta’s experience as an activist both in support of climate action and in support of the people of Gaza, including the need for an increased concentration on access to humanitarian aid.

"Greta also highlighted her experience of the beauty of the Irish people and countryside over her visit so far, as well as some of the challenges that people have shared with her," the Áras spokesman said.

He said that President Connolly had strongly condemned the horrific anti-semitic attack in Sydney and offered her deepest sympathies to the Jewish community everywhere at this time.

Earlier this week, the Justice Minister called on his political colleagues to be careful with their use of language following the Bondi Beach attack.

Jim O’Callaghan made the comments at Herzog Park in Rathgar, Dublin, on Monday, which has been the scene of controversy after attempts were recently made to have its name removed. It is named after Chaim Herzog, sixth president of Israel, who was born in Belfast and grew up in Dublin.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

Mr O’Callaghan said: "I think all political representatives have to be very careful in the use of language that they decide to avail of. I think it’s extremely important that we stand up to any anti-semitism if we believe it present anywhere.

"I do not believe Ireland is an anti-semitic country. However, I have to take on board the concerns that very many representatives of the Jewish community in Ireland have expressed to me and to the Government."

Tánaiste Simon Harris also said earlier this week that anti-semitism is on the rise worldwide, including in Ireland. He said the Bondi Beach attack was ‘disgusting’, adding: ‘It’s a statement of fact, and a very sad one, to say that anti-semitism is on the rise around the world, including in Ireland.

"I certainly met with members of the Jewish community recently, including young children, and I was very struck by the anti-semitism that they face in their daily lives."

Extra.ie sought to contact Ms Thunberg via multiple email addresses and also contacted Bohemians Football Club, which was hosting her, asking for comment, but none was received.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.