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Dervish perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Finland in 2007. The group recently abandoned a planned tour of Israel. ALASTAIR GRANT/AP

Gilmore slams 'unacceptable efforts to harass' artists from performing in Israel

The Tánaiste says the treatment of groups like Dervish, who pulled out of an Israeli tour, is “totally unacceptable”.

THE TÁNAISTE Eamon Gilmore has criticised supporters of a cultural boycott of Israel, who are accused of bullying the music group Dervish into abandoning an Israeli tour this year, as “totally unacceptable”.

Gilmore said that while the Irish government was “firmly opposed” to a cultural boycott, led by the Irish-Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Irish artists should be free to decide for themselves whether they wished to engage with Israel.

“It is the right of others to take a contrary view” to the government’s, Gilmore said – adding that he thought “efforts to harass artists with a view to intimidating them from exercising their freedom of choice in relation to engagement with Israel” were “completely unacceptable”.

The remarks came in response to a written parliamentary question from Labour’s Joanna Tuffy, who had asked the foreign affairs minister to confirm the government’s stance on the cultural boycott and its proponents.

The IPSC’s boycott campaign has been called back into the public eye after Dervish announced it would not take part in an Irish music concert series, after meeting with significant online opposition to the tour.

“The organiser of the shows is a musician and friend of the band for many years. He has worked to bridge divides between people through music for much of his life,” the band said last month when it announced the cancellation.

“These concerts were organised in this same spirit. At the time we agreed to these performances we were unaware there was a cultural boycott in place.

“We now feel that we do not wish to break this boycott,” its statement concluded. That statement has since been removed from the band’s website.

A second band, FullSet, also withdrew from the tour, saying both groups had been “publicly berated and attacked for breaking a cultural boycott on Israel that neither group was aware of when accepting the tour”.

“The anger behind comments and insults thrown back and forth between people on our page and on Dervish’s in the past few days is saddening to read,” the band had said.

“These comments have come from people from every side of the spectrum. For us, regardless of anyone’s views or comments, the goodness is gone out of this trip.”

‘Directing its members’

Justice minister Alan Shatter has already criticised the IPSC for purportedly “directing its members” to target Dervish’s online pages, slamming it for directing an “avalanche of negativity” towards the band, a claim the IPSC rejects.

“Worryingly, reports of newly declassified documents, seized from his hideout in Pakistan following his death last year, indicate that the actions of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Group [sic] and its associates have caught the attention of some of Osama Bin Laden’s followers who now see Ireland as promising ground for support,” Shatter had said.

The justice minister elaborated this week that he ‘deplored’ the “cyber-bullying and intimidation” which led Dervish to cancel its tour, and said cultural exchanges had the ability to “make a significant contribution to fostering understanding and tolerance in a troubled part of the world”.

Gilmore asserted that he had been happy to attend the opening of the Israeli Film Festival last November, and said he had underlined on that occasion that the government opposed the boycott campaign.

Composer Raymond Deane, the IPSC’s cultural liaison and boycott officer, said it was “lamentable that the Tánaiste would repeat such baseless accusations” and described his reply as a “slander”.

Dervish “received private approaches from very well-known colleagues in the traditional music world, pointing out the existence of the cultural boycott and the boycott pledge”, Deane said, pointing out that Dervish’s original statement cancelling the tour made no reference to online abuse.

“The torrent of intimidation came afterwards and came exclusively from Zionists, and from supporters of Israel.”

Deane added that Shatter’s original statement, linking IPSC’s actions to the documents recovered from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, “should have testified to the absurdity of the [minister's] claim”.

Read: Gilmore condemns Israel for ‘legalising’ West Bank settlements

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82 Comments
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    Mute Chris Tee
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    Jul 27th 2022, 6:48 AM

    Not sure if it’s just me, but I avoid taxis as much as possible coming home from a night out. I live a 15 min drive from Cork city, and back when hackney cabs could be booked to pick you up at a certain time/place, I knew the cost was exactly €20 to get home every time, and was happy to pay it. The fares for taxis just varies way too much, and is inevitably more expensive. I’ve genuinely paid anywhere between €26-€39 on the meter for the exact same trip, and I can’t figure out how the price can fluctuate so much, which makes me think I’m getting ripped off in some cases. Much rather not drink and just drive or else have a lift organised from the other half.

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Jul 27th 2022, 3:24 PM

    @Chris Tee: totally agree its getting prohibitively expensive 2 taxis to my house in and out of town 34 quid thats 7 pints of the black stuff in my local.

    16
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    Mute Sinead Merrigan
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    Jul 27th 2022, 6:34 AM

    The increase in fare is most likely going to turn customers away. My understanding behind the hesitancy of night work is the added risk of danger from theft and the chance the taxi will be soiled leaving it unusable were also part of the equasion

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    Mute Seamus Quaide
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    Jul 27th 2022, 7:39 AM

    Totally worth the 12 per cent for the extraordinary wealth of knowledge that you will receive from the driver on any random subject.

    231
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    Mute David Harries
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    Jul 27th 2022, 11:22 AM

    @Seamus Quaide: That’s Brilliant I love you’re sense of humour lol

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    Mute Noshah Monk
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    Jul 28th 2022, 2:26 PM

    @Seamus Quaide: due to cost of inflation everything is going up and what kind of wealthy knowledge your getting when u pay them ?
    You are looking your wealth of knowledge on wrong place.

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    Mute Peter Jo
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    Jul 27th 2022, 9:12 AM

    Another classic example of how to fix a problem in #Irl, increase the costs ot it or tax it.

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    Mute Clodagh Nic L
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    Jul 27th 2022, 1:53 PM

    @Peter Jo: There seems to be a limit to the knowledge of economics in all these scenarios. The answer is always to throw money at it rather than address the root causes.

    Not enough houses being built? Give money to developers no matter what the cost. Cost of living increasing? Increase minimum wage. People drink too much? Up the price of booze. People not using enough (mostly non existent) public transport? Up the cost of fuel.

    Lazy economics

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    Mute Don Hogan
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    Jul 27th 2022, 9:09 PM

    @Clodagh Nic L: And what are your well thought out measures to attract more taxi drivers to night shifts?

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    Mute Clodagh Nic L
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    Jul 28th 2022, 1:22 PM

    @Don Hogan: see Don, I’m not an economist but I’d say maybe some kind of better public transport and policing, stricter pub licensing (in the U.K., if you’re too drunk, you’re refused drink service, that’s the norm- in ireland, you’re allowed to buy drink til you black out, vomit and punch someone), maybe even on a larger scale- spread employment across the cities and not just Dublin to reduce the outrageous demand on all services in Dublin.

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    Mute Rafa Condron
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    Jul 27th 2022, 7:25 AM

    That might be end of peak nights out. People leaving pubs/clubs earlier to get last bus/nitelink home, rather than spending exorbitantly on taxis.

    Damaging to pubs/clubs with revellers leaving earlier, damaging taxi usage at the same time. Genius.

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    Mute Ian O Hara
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    Jul 27th 2022, 9:40 AM

    @Rafa Condron: all after spending over the top prices on your food and drink aswell, GET THE BUS……….

    55
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    Mute Rafa Condron
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    Jul 27th 2022, 10:24 AM

    @Ian O Hara: well town prices you know what you’re in for. An extra 3 euro 30 cent on the fare will be a killer

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    Mute Stacey Boylan
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    Jul 27th 2022, 9:06 AM

    It’s nothing to do with fare prices its down to safety.

    My dad was mugged twice driving at night the second time he was beaten really badly and his car was stolen off him.

    In covid we all seen the antics that were going on in Dublin city centre why would you want to work in that environment.

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    Mute Heather Knowles
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    Jul 27th 2022, 11:42 AM

    @Stacey Boylan: I’ve heard several horror stories from taxi drivers regarding the foul behaviour from people at night. Verbal abuse, defacation in the cars, urinating, vomiting and physical threats along with people refusing to pay. I wouldn’t work those hours for anything. It’s simply not worth it. I don’t blame your Dad one bit for deciding not to work at night and I’m sorry he had such awful experiences.

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    Mute GaMran
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    Jul 27th 2022, 5:47 PM

    @Stacey Boylan: 100% agree. It’s extremely unsafe, unsociable hours. Just like everyone else during Covid taxi drivers also realised life is about more than chasing money, it is important to have some sort of quality of life. Unsociable hours are unhealthy, and dangerous. For the amount of money and exploitative company like Freenow what is the point? Why would anyone work those hours? My partner has been attacked, harassed, got his car damaged, puked in etc. At occasions women were indecent in the back of his car, he got her out, she didn’t pay but said she will accuse him of all sorts. Does anyone get how terrifying is that to a decent person? Getting accused of things, just because he picked up a drunk tart? One got sick in his car, (well known RTE personel) and spewed abuse at him for an hour. The list goes on. He’s a decent fella, calm and collected but coming home from late shifts he has developed anxiety. Everyone who is so judgemental about Taxi drivers and taking only cash fares and all the other vile stuff they think of them should remember, they are also people, they work with the public, and not all of them are exploitative,dirty,unprofessional etc..
    Would be nice if there could be more understanding and kindness and less of stereotyping people here.

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    Mute David Lawlor
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    Jul 27th 2022, 8:43 AM

    So average income will come up to 32k. Subtract fuel, insurance, maintenence and you’ll be very lucky to clear 25. Not exactly selling it are they?

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    Mute Radek Warchola
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    Jul 27th 2022, 8:53 AM

    Increase in fares. Yes that will definitely entice me wtf…

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    Mute John Mc Grane
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    Jul 27th 2022, 10:32 AM

    How much more do we pay for a litre of fuel a pint or a steak compared to 5 years ago. These guys are absorbing all these increases & worth it. As regards night time would you like to work with the risks that are there now at night . Many friends of mine have been robbed , abused , spat at & damage to their cars. I wouldnt do it

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    Mute Colin Kearney
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    Jul 27th 2022, 11:02 AM

    Enticed people to stay in. You can get a taxi on mainland Europe for a third of the price. Ireland is increasingly becoming a country that is too expensive for every day living. Public transport is a disaster and now taxis up their price. TAXXXI….!

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    Mute joe celtic 1888
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    Jul 27th 2022, 10:37 AM

    To dangerous to work at night, the place is full of vermin

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    Mute Nollaig Adderley
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    Jul 27th 2022, 10:19 AM

    Thuis isn’t exactly going to help pubs, bars and clubs attract staff with the added cost of getting home

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Jul 27th 2022, 3:25 PM

    Lads I dunno about ye but I love paying 17 euros for 10 mins chat about how busy things aren’t.

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    Mute Nick
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    Jul 27th 2022, 11:22 PM

    12% pay hike and they’re still unhappy, nobody absolutely nobody else will get a 12% hike in pay. Before the bleating starts everybody’s fuel and cost of living has risen not just the taxi drivers…. 28k my eye, they earn more than that and most pay a nominal few quid tax… Few genuine ones rest cowboys

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    Mute Mark Dawson
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    Jul 28th 2022, 5:35 PM

    Most taxi drivers I know won’t work nights because they are afraid of getting attacked and who can blame them

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    Mute Noshah Monk
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    Jul 28th 2022, 2:28 PM

    Why journal think it’s necessary to write once in a month about taxi driver?
    It’s sensitive topic for Taxi drivers. We don’t like publicity.

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