Bertie Ahern's 'too many' immigrant comments condemned by Micheál Martin
The Taoiseach has condemned immigration remarks made by his party's former leader Bertie Ahern, stating they do not reflect Fianna Fáil's position.In footage shared on social media, the former taoiseach can be heard expressing concerns that "too many" immigrants are entering Ireland and the country "can't be taking people in from the Congo". The woman recording the video raised the matter with Mr Ahern, asking: "Can we not close our borders?"He responded: "I think there are too many coming in. I think we have to take some in. I have no problems with the Ukrainians. But the ones I worry about are the Africans. I agree with you on the Africans. We can't be taking in people from the Congo and all these places. I think there's too many from those places."It's believed the footage was captured while Mr Ahern was out canvassing with Fianna Fáil's Dublin Central by-election candidate John Stephens. The former taoiseach told RTÉ that the video was filmed without his knowledge, and that the clip formed part of a lengthier discussion, reports the Irish Mirror.Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Mr Ahern's comments as "not appropriate", adding: "I think it's not appropriate, in my view, to be specific about any given ethnicity. And that's not, in my view, correct or proper."We have to respect people with many different ethnicities in Ireland, many Irish citizens with different ethnic backgrounds, and that has to be respected." Ruth O'Dea, a Labour Party candidate in the Dublin Central bye-election, called on Mr Ahern to retract his remarks, branding them as "beyond the pale".She said: "It is irresponsible, and he has crossed a line. The comments are nothing short of despicable and as a former Taoiseach, he should know better than making such inflammatory comments."It's yet another shameful example during this bye-election campaign of punching down on migrants, and I've no doubt that Ahern has thrown this grenade out to distract from the litany of failures that Fianna Fáil have presided over in Government from housing to childcare to enhancing Dublin City."I would urge all candidates running to serve the people of Dublin Central in this bye-election to reject the division that Ahern and others are seeking to sow."Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Dublin Live as a preferred source, simply click here.Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice
