For a man who claims to champion human rights and who is concerned about the persecution of minority groups, we were very disturbed, on a number of fronts, to come across a recent YouTube video of Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Trade, essentially propagating a conspiracy theory about Jewish people controlling the media.
Questioned by the show’s host, Waqar Rizvi, about “suppression of criticism related to Israel”, Collins replied: “There is an effort to suppress any criticism and any speaking out about against the suppressive policies of Israel”. He then goes on to say he has been “targeted” by people on social media “trying to suppress and drown out” his voice.
However, and this is where it gets disturbing, Niall Collins “wouldn’t entirely blame the Trump administration when we’re apportioning blame to the United States, because right across corporate America and right across America at every level there’s a huge Jewish lobby who have helped create the problem we are now discussing”. He was immediately cut off by the host at this point. Enough said?
In 2017 Barakat posted a photo of himself wearing a PFLP beret, with its symbol and logo, and holding a piece of paper that reads: “down with Israel and down with the Palestinian Authority”. In addition, the official logo of the BDS movement appears in the bottom left corner of the photo.
Barakat wearing a PFLP beret, with its symbol and logo, and holding a piece of paper that reads:
“down with Israel and down with the Palestinian Authority”.
We could go on…
by Jackie Goodall
