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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 Mrs parrott
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:07 PM

    I don’t care about the rights or wrongs of this story but what amazes me is a case like this goes before the high court. Judges at the top of their game (allegedly) they hear all the evidence and come to a decision. Next thing is at the court of appeal. Same evidence but a completely different ruling. What does that say about quality of judges?

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:26 PM

    @Mrs parrott: it’s like a replay in the FA cup. Everyone wins except the poor clown with the check book.

    110
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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:48 PM

    @Mrs parrott: Typically it’s where there is little or no precedent in an area, conflicting precedent or where precedent is producing unwanted results. (or, of course, where the judge got it wrong). This case would be down to the first – little or no precedent. Now that the court of appeal has ruled, the high court has guidance for future cases.

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    Mute Lorcán Ó Broin
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:36 PM

    @Mrs parrott: There’s a wider point: allowing appeals to higher courts on points of law establishes a firmer legal precedent, in which other similar cases in lower courts (and outside the court system) can cite and take notice of, which more markedly illustrates legal demarcations. Its how the nationwide legal and administrative framework develops

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    Mute Jonathan Barry
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:10 PM

    Should have said he was a ………..

    149
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    Mute Daniel Bohan
    Favourite Daniel Bohan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:30 PM

    @Jonathan Barry:

    Oh let’s play bigot bingo!

    Should have said he was a….

    Muslim?
    Jew?
    Refugee?
    Syrian?
    Political asylum seeker?

    Do I win?

    87
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    Mute Daniel Bohan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:47 PM

    @Finipops: Succinct

    14
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    Mute Jake Gundersonn
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:40 PM

    Nationality is not a gift card as the journal like make it out to be. Don’t cheapen Countries to the same standard as monopoly board which The EU has turned out to be.

    118
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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:19 PM

    Jus soli applied prior to 2005, which means anyone born on the soil of Ireland is entitled to citizenship. Anyone born since Jan 2005 must have connection to Irish blood (jus sanguinis) such as one parent being Irish.

    106
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    Mute Fear Uisce
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:20 PM

    He should have just hacked the registery

    98
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    Mute 3monkey
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:47 PM

    Did he not speak to his local TD ?

    54
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    Mute Fear Uisce
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:49 PM

    Or ask Putin for some help

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    Mute Ted Murray
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:33 PM

    @Fear Uisce: __ He would have kicked him in the Gulags.

    13
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    Mute Alex Falcone
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:21 PM

    Dragging the elderly from their beds and denying them citizenship.
    Donald Trump is not a patch on Ireland.
    Where’s the protest this evening?

    75
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    Mute Fozz
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:27 PM

    @Alex Falcone: Hyperbole much?

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    Mute Daniel Bohan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:33 PM

    @Fozz: Alex does a very poor impression of a troll, just ignore

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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:35 PM

    Never mind hyperbole what about hypocrisy. If this was someone born in direct provision Snowflake Alex would be celebrating the victory.

    65
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    Mute Alex Falcone
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 12:42 PM

    @Keelan O’neill:
    Ingress and egress.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:22 PM

    Did they drag him from his bed in Russia where he lives?

    22
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    Mute CeannairBlue
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:22 PM

    How can it be so easy to kick out a normal person and yet rapists and murderers get to stay by citing the Human Rights Act ????

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    Mute Pablo Rojas Coppari
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 3:44 PM

    We don’t have a Human Rights Act

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    Mute CeannairBlue
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 4:15 PM

    @Pablo Rojas Coppari: Er, ever heard of the European Union of which we are member ? The European Convention on Human Rights ???

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    Mute Markonline
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:01 PM

    I hope he can bring his own hospital bed with him.

    58
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    Mute Laurence Cavanagh
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:03 PM

    Just leave the man alone.Its not like he’s doing anyone any harm for Gods sake

    54
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    Mute Jake Gundersonn
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:15 PM

    @Laurence Cavanagh: I agree. He only wants to see his grandkids. Horrible to deny that right to anyone and technically he was born in Ireland before June 2004 so he’s entitled to it. Leave the man be, the journal reporting on it doesn’t do any good story justice

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 2:24 PM

    Sets a precedent so the law must be followed but I know what you mean, it’s all a bit pedantic.

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    Mute Permo Dermo
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 5:45 PM

    Why make up such a story? The man has given an undertaking not to claim social welfare here and he’s elderly so why not allow him a citizenship?

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    Mute CJ Stewart
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:34 PM

    …Hang on…was he born here or conceived here .. ?????…….it wasn’t just fight’in was done in WW2, a lot of lov’in was done too…..I’m sure there was a fair few Chesnokov’s hang’in round Henrietta Street back then…… ‘go on ya bo ya..away with ya ! ‘

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    Mute Eranu
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 1:29 PM

    In before Superfiends and Jason Culligan.

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 5:39 PM

    He’s 76 for jaysus sake! Will ye just give him de bleedin passport.

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 6:09 PM

    It’s all to do with the importation of garlic and we know how that can get you in hot water here. The man’s name comes from the Russian word for garlic, if it’s been properly transcribed. Though, seriously, I hope he gets some sort of extended visa. He’s an elderly man who wants to be near his grandchildren

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    Mute winston smith
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 7:13 PM

    Maybe he should have hired a good Genealogist! …or just set him the Dublin Taxi Drivers Street test and if he passes he is in.

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    Mute William T Smith
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 7:45 PM

    maybe if he was an Egyptian?

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    Mute Paul Brady
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    Feb 4th 2017, 4:15 AM

    It seems a bit unfair that we make an aged grandfather’s life more difficult to establish a point of law but we expect better treatment for our own undocumented.
    Maybe we should set an example, now that precedent has been established, and judge this case on its merits and how we would like our diaspora to be judged?

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Feb 24th 2017, 8:01 PM

    @Paul Brady: the hypocrisy of it all would be quite breathtaking in anywhere else but here. There’s Mr Kenny going to Washington to bring the bowl of shamroguery on a last mission because he’ll bear the brunt of the ‘disgrace’ of meeting Trump amongst the chattering classes and he can plead for the case of the undocumented/illegal Irish citizens living there. And take the blame again if it all goes South. Ironic that another Taoiseach, deV, asked Kennedy to shut the gates of the US to the Irish because he wanted to stem the brain and labour drain back in the Fifties.

    Enda might be better off honouring the entire Choctaw Nation that gave its little all to help the starving Irish in the Famine by offering Irish citizenship to every Choctaw kid born henceforth if they want it. Then the Choctaw could offer the undocumented Irish sanctuary from Trump’s 10K new immigration enforcement officers when the old midnight knock sounds and ”VOS PAPIERIEN!!! BITTE!!!” or however they’ll say it. Well it’s more outside the box thinking than just bringing over an annual bowl of weed on bended knee and asking for mercy from a not too kindly stranger perhaps. THat hasn’t gotten any traction vis-a-vis the illegal Irish in the past fourteen years since Ireland threw open Her so-called neutral ports to illegal aggressive warmongering and state policies of torture for all the begging..

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 5:59 PM

    Surely his son could sponsor him ?

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    Mute Martin Fahy
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    Feb 4th 2017, 9:14 AM

    He has not been able to prove he was born in Ireland.
    But there are other options. My wife is Chinese and we were able to sponsor a visa get her elderly Mum a 1 year visa, extendable to 2 years without any problem.
    Once you show that you will accommodate and support financially, it’s a fairly straightforward process.
    I wonder why his son has not gone down this route or are there other issues in this case not in the article, you don’t get the full story in reports like this.

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    Mute Michael Mcshane
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 11:44 PM

    ..maybe if he ran for president of the united states and won…then we would have no problem tracing a connect to the “ole sod” for him… begorrah

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    Mute Can Millet
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    Feb 4th 2017, 12:51 PM

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Feb 24th 2017, 7:49 PM

    I thought nobody should be arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship? Is not a judge saying he disagrees with an earlier Court interpretation in favour of the man’s case not just another subjective interpretation of the evidence, albeit in an higher court? Seems arbitrary enough to me. The evidence remains what it is, unchallenged it seems to me in terms of what it is. Anyway point is moot now Roma locuta est. Loads of Brits have just been arbitrarily deprived of their EU citizenship by slightly greater loads of other Brits and nobody at the UN seems concerned so it might no longer be the human right it once was held to be.

    Perhaps he’d have been better off finding a Midlands petfood factory to invest in. Or perhaps a ‘contribution’ to the upkeep of Inishvickillaune. More traditional ways of securing Irish citizenship. Million nicker starting price for both might have been a bit high for an old commie born on Henrietta Street who wouldn’t be exactly rubbing Charvet-clad shoulders with those who can sell Irish citizeship and passports for 30 pcs of foreign despot silver or a mess of FDI pottage.

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    Mute Gerard Henry
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    Feb 3rd 2017, 4:13 PM

    The gov are handing out citizenship to every one who settled here amazing this man was refused

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