Bertie Ahern has faced significant backlash from political figures over recent comments he made about immigration.
A video circulating on social media in recent days recorded Ahern discussing the topic, with the former Taoiseach heard saying: ‘The ones I worry about are the Africans.’
He was also recorded admitting to concerns about the level of immigration and stating that Ireland can’t be taking in people coming from ‘the Congo’.
The video was filmed as Ahern joined Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Central bye-election candidate John Stephens while canvassing in the constituency.
On Wednesday, Ahern said that he has ‘no problem with people who come to Ireland through the visa and asylum systems’.
Speaking to RTE News, he claimed that the video was recorded without his knowledge ‘around nine or ten days ago’.
Ahern said: ‘I support Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan’s policies on immigration, let there be no doubt about. I have said in the past the asylum process should be quicker, but I do acknowledge it has speeded up a bit in recent times.’
He added that many African people, who had gone through the visa system, live and work in his locality.
Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has called for the party’s former leader to apologise for his comments, labelling them ‘very unhelpful’.
She said that the remarks do not represent the views of her party and that political figures ‘cannot be calling out a certain ethnicity, race or country’.
Ní Mhurchú told RTE’s Morning Ireland: ‘This is not the Bertie Ahern I know and respect, and am so fond of. This is out of character…
‘It’s really important that we have sensible conversations around this topic. Unfortunately, this did not add to a sensible conversation.’
Daniel Ennis, who is running in the Dublin Central bye-election for the Social Democrats, slammed Ahern’s remarks as ‘absolutely vile’
While canvassing, he told The Journal that those living in the inner city know what it is like to be isolated and forgotten about by society.
Ennis said: ‘So I’ll never stand for commentary like that… because that was us once, us in the north inner city, and Bertie knows that, so that’s absolutely vile.
‘We’re in politics to take a brave stance. Leadership is so important, and our language is so important.’
