LAST UPDATE | 17 Dec 2024

FINE GAEL HAS been criticised for the slow speed of its disciplinary process, two months after a councillor made antisemitic comments at a meeting of Dublin City Council. 

Two Dublin City Council members have this week called out Fine Gael’s slow response to the comments and said such comments gave an “attack line” to Israel, which closed its embassy in Ireland earlier this week. 

Fine Gael councillor for Kimmage-Rathmines, Punam Rane said that “the entire US economy today is ruled by the Jews, by Israel” during a debate and motion demanding that the Irish government enact the Occupied Territories Bill in early October. 

Rane faced backlash for the comments which were immediately called out on the night as antisemitic by People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy who asked that the comments be withdrawn.

Asked to clarify her remarks at the meeting, Rane said: “I didn’t actually mean a particular community. But I’m just saying today the US economy is ruled by the Israelis. It’s not wrong.

“They have worked hard for it – that’s not what I’m saying – but what I am saying is that the US is not [able] to take a stance today because of their financial dependency. That’s all I’m saying.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the following morning Rane withdrew her remarks and apologised for them. 

Later that day, Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael Simon Harris condemned the remarks as “offensive” and “entirely inappropriate”.

In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for the party said: “Cllr Rane has been referred to the Party’s Disciplinary Procedures for breach of the Party Pledge to not express prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory views.

“The process has not concluded at this point.”

People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy told The Journal that he is surprised that Fine Gael has not been quicker to conclude the disciplinary procedure. 

“Fine Gael have in the last couple of months pointed to disciplinary issues, particularly in Sinn Féin. I think it is hypocritical to be honest that they haven’t responded to this issue within their own party in a timely manner,” Reddy said.

“I think councillor Rane should have to take some education on antisemitism and racism to be honest and a further correction of the record would be in order.”

He continued: “I’ve been in the Palestinian solidarity movement for a long time, my partner is Palestinian – this stuff isn’t helpful.

“On top of being antisemitic and wrong I think it was really unhelpful and damaging in what was a positive meeting. It stole from that occasion, immediately gave an attack line to Israel and supporters of Israel. It was very handy for them to have an example of antisemitic language to point to, something I’ve seen people do over the last day.” 

Yesterday, Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Ireland citing the Irish government’s “extreme anti-Israel policy”.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan, who proposed the motion on the Occupied Territories Bill, told The Journal that he would have expected Fine Gael to respond in a quicker manner than they have. 

“It’s not for me to tell Fine Gael how to do their business, but the comments were absolutely objectionable and antisemitic. They were offensive and hurtful,” Doolan said.

“If Fine Gael were taken these comments seriously they should have asked her to issue an apology and dealt with them swiftly,” Doolan said.

“I was there that night and people were shocked. I didn’t want those comments to become a distraction but I would have expected Fine Gael to respond swiftly and they haven’t,” he added. 

The Occupied Territories Bill, if enacted, would ban trade between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

The Journal has contacted councillor Punam Rane for comment. 

In a statement sent this evening, a spokesperson for Fine Gael further outlined how the internal disciplinary process works.

The spokesperson said the party has a “robust disciplinary process which was voted on by the party’s membership in 2019 and is set out in full in the party’s constitution and rules.”

“The party’s constitution and rules includes the relevant timelines, procedures and other relevant matters. Any complaint against a member of the party is in the first instance forwarded to the party’s regulatory committee for its consideration.

“The regulatory committee carries out a preliminary investigation and if the regulatory committee believe that there is a case to be answered, the matter is then sent to the party’s hearing committee for a hearing and for final decision,” they said.