LAST UPDATE | 22 Jun 2023
PROTESTERS HAVE HALTED the start of the consultative forum on international security policy in Cork, shouting anti-NATO slogans during Tánaiste and Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin’s opening speech.
The incident broke out as Martin got to his feet to begin the day.
The Tánaiste was jeered and stopped speaking for a time before gardaí arrived and escorted the protesters from the room in the Boole lecture theatre in UCC.
One protester, Dominic Carroll, pictured in green, disrupted Martin as he approached the stage to make his opening address to the forum.
Martin, in an attempt to stop the disruption, said: “There’s no point, I want to get through my introductory speech and we can have consultations later.”
The Tánaiste continued with his speech – however more protesters joined, with some holding a banner reading: “NATO WARS, MILLIONS DEAD”.
The protesters claimed that the Tánaiste was “ignoring” them and continued to heckle with their criticisms of the forum.
Martin replied: “I grew up in this city, and I learnt about freedom of speech and democracy in this university.
“You’ve had your platform, you’ve said what you’ve had to say,” he added.
Protesters responded “shame on you” and continued to shout at the Tánaiste with their criticisms of NATO and the consultative forum.
He responded: “The most undemocratic thing you can do is to try shout down debate. And that is what you’re trying to do this morning. You are trying to shut down debate.”
Martin said the protesters were “behaving in a manner that is intolerant of freedom of speech”.
“What you’re saying is, debate on your terms, or on nobody else’s terms.”
The protesters were then escorted by gardaí from the room. The Journal has confirmed that no arrests were made.
Carroll, speaking later, said he believes the government should have held a citizens assembly on neutrality, instead of the forum, and that it “substituted” the assembly for what he thinks is an “undemocratic forum”.
“That’s why we’re here to protest a forum is stacked in favor of pro-NATO speakers.”
“There’s not enough time being given over to consider the positive aspects of neutrality. Neutrality has been treated like a problem that must be resolved,” he added.
Carroll said he believes the government is attempting to use the forum to create “consents” to abolish the Triple Lock, “the erosion of neutrality and ultimately, membership of NATO”.
The Triple Lock refers to the requirement for separate approval by the government, the Dáil and a UN resolution to mandate deploying more than 12 Irish troops abroad.
The programme for the forum notes the increasing use of vetoes at UN level by Russia, preventing new peacekeeping missions from being established. The forum’s programme poses the questions: “What does this mean for Ireland’s ability to pursue an independent foreign policy? What implications does this have for the Triple Lock?”
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the event will focus on a range of issues, including Ireland’s commitment to the international rules-based order through peacekeeping and crisis management.
The Department also said that the forum will look at disarmament and non-proliferation, international humanitarian law, and conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
The chair of forum, counterterrorism expert Louise Richardson, has been tasked with writing up a report for government following the four-day series of events. The forum moves to Galway tomorrow before moving to Dublin Castle for two days next week.
Today’s protests
More disruptions took place today when Richardson stood to address attendees.
Local councillor Lorna Bogue, from An Rabharta Glas/The Green Left Party (which is an unregistered party in Ireland), protested Richardson’s speech.
The councillor told The Journal she thought it was “not correct” to call the forum a “democratic process” and that she felt the need “as a democratically elected person” to protest.
Bogue said she thinks the more “salient” issue in terms of security policy is “the poor pay and conditions” that members of the Defence Forces and Naval Service experience.
Martin, while speaking to reporters after the first discussions at the forum, said there was “no need” for the protests to take place at the start of proceedings.
“I think to register to simply try and shut down debate is not the right approach and subsequently, as the debate developed and as the discussion developed, I think we can see that this is a good exercise, constructive exercise,” he said.
He said that if the groups who were protesting had stayed for the discussion element of the forum “they could have put issues to the chair”.
Martin told The Journal that he thinks the public are open to debate and he would “invite anybody” to look at the biographies of the 80 speakers during the forum.
“These are good quality debates that we’ve managed to assemble, and bring people to Ireland, who have a depth of experience in various international organisations,” he added.
The Tánaiste opened the forum by thanking the university and the organisers of the first event. It is understood that 1,200 people have registered for the four days and upwards of 300 submissions have been received.
Today’s event in Cork began with an examination of the current global security environment.
Martin said: “It is a fundamental duty of every Irish Government to put in place policies and practices to keep Ireland and her people, safe and secure.
“Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, blatantly violating the UN Charter and international law, has fundamentally changed the geopolitical and security landscape in Europe.
“In its wake, countries all over Europe have examined and re-examined their foreign, security and defence policies.
Ireland is no different. To shy away from doing so – or to do so behind closed doors – would be a fundamental mistake and an abrogation of responsibility.”
The Tánaiste said that nobody should “fear” the discussion, new ideas or hearing different perspectives and different viewpoints. Martin also reiterated that Ireland’s policy of military neutrality will not be changed by this Government.
“But none of this means that we should isolate ourselves, or assume we have nothing to learn from, or contribute to, the wider debate about European security.”
Speaking at the forum today, Sinn Féin TD and the party’s spokesperson for Defence and Foreign Affairs Matt Carthy shared the view of some protesters that the discussion should be on the additional supports for the Irish Defence Forces.
The Sinn Féin TD said he feels Ireland can continue to play a leading role diplomatically, and was well placed to prevent wars from taking place due to its “unique history” with colonisation and it’s “track record” of neutrality, alongside work from NGOs and the state in overseas development.
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