Presidential election: What Catherine Connolly says on Ukraine, the EU and Syria

Irish Times

11 hours ago

With little more than two months to go until
voters
go to the polls,
Independent TD Catherine Connolly
is the only confirmed candidate in the race to succeed
President Michael D Higgins
.
During her nine years as a TD, Ms Connolly, a committed Gaeilgeoir, has served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle and has proved to be an incisive performer on committees.
She is highly regarded by left-leaning parties in the
Oireachtas
– reflected by the fact she has the backing of the Social Democrats, Labour and People Before Profit in the presidential election.
In a contest, however, that places unremitting emphasis on the individual, their history in politics, their character and their actions, she will face criticism and scrutiny over some of her stances and actions.
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The Irish Times posed questions to Connolly regarding her stance on global affairs, including her views on the war in Ukraine, Russia and Nato, the European Union and a controversial trip she took to war-torn Syria in 2018.
Here is what she said.
The Ukraine war, Russia and Nato
Connolly's approach to the war in Ukraine has been to condemn Russia but also criticise western military alliance Nato, which she has argued was 'warmongering' before the conflict began.
It is a stance that could be perceived by some as her blaming Nato for
Russian president Vladimir Putin
's decision to invade Ukraine.
During her nine years as a TD, Catherine Connolly has served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
In a Dáil debate on the eve of the February 2022 invasion, Connolly said: 'We should be raging against any possibility of war' and Ireland 'should be using our voice as a neutral country'.
She criticised Putin as a 'dictator with no respect for democracy' but also contended: 'Nato has played a despicable role in moving forward to the border and engaging in warmongering. Ireland has been hypocritical on many levels.'
She has also spoken in the Dáil this year about the need to continue to 'show solidarity with the people of Ukraine'. She referred to the refugees who have come to Ireland and said it was 'really important we call out what Russia has done'.
The Irish Times asked Ms Connolly if she believed Nato was equally or partly to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She said: 'Russia is conducting an illegal invasion of Ukraine – it must immediately end its horrific assault in accordance with international law and an immediate ceasefire.
'I have criticised Nato as its warmongering and escalation towards conflict over the years is at odds with achieving peace in regions across the world.'
The European Union, US, UK and France
During a Dáil speech on the third anniversary of the Ukraine war in February this year, Ms Connolly made criticisms of the US, the UK, France and the European Union (EU), and she highlighted the ongoing war in Gaza.
She has been vocal in her criticisms of
Israel
, accusing it on other occasions of genocide in its campaign in
Gaza
and Palestine.
During the Dáil contribution in February, Ms Connolly referred to Government plans to
scrap the triple lock on the deployment of Irish troops abroad
– a proposal she opposes, arguing it threatens Ireland's neutrality.
Ms Connolly agreed with another contributor in the debate that there are countries 'we certainly cannot trust', adding: 'America is one of those and England and France are others.
'What is behind their motivation is simply an arms industry, more war, ongoing war, normalising war and making huge profits. That needs to be called out over and over.'
She accused
US president Donald Trump
of 'supporting Israel trampling on international law and reducing Gaza to nothing'.
Ms Connolly said: 'We do not seem to see any contradiction in calling out Russia – rightly so – but not calling out America or any of the other major powers. I have a huge problem with that.'
She also said she has a 'huge problem with the EU, which has lost its direction', and she criticised
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's
stance on Gaza which is seen by many to be too pro-Israel.
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The Irish Times asked Ms Connolly if she is saying the UK and France, two of Ireland's closest neighbours, cannot be trusted and if she is a supporter of the EU.
In response, Ms Connolly said: 'The US, England and France are deeply entrenched in an arms industry which causes bloodshed across the world – as a staunch advocate for neutrality, this behaviour must be condemned.'
She also said: 'The European Union, which I support, has lost sight of its foundations: a project developed to promote and preserve peace.'
Ms Connolly contended: 'The EU has become increasingly militarised under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen and the European People's Party – this direction can only bring pain. As Irish people, we must resist this trend towards imperialism and show support for Palestine and Ukraine as Europeans.'
She said: 'The EU has lost its moral compass.'
The Syria trip
Ms Connolly travelled to Syria in June 2018 along with then-fellow Independent TDs Maureen O'Sullivan, Clare Daly and Mick Wallace.
At the time of the trip,
dictator Bashar al-Assad
was still in power and engaged in a brutal civil war. The country was under western sanctions.
During her presidential campaign launch, Ms Connolly said she funded the trip herself, its purpose was 'fact-finding', and she 'met no member of government' and 'nor did I ever utter one word of support for Assad'.
She said the delegation visited a refugee camp outside Damascus and 'saw first-hand the destruction of a whole city'. They travelled to Aleppo and met the Chamber of Industry, and also had a meeting with Unicef workers as well as visiting a convent.
While in Aleppo, the Irish delegation met Syrian businessman and politician Fares al-Shehabi.
Although he was an Independent MP, Mr al-Shehabi was a supporter of the military actions taken by the government side in the civil war.
He was deemed a supporter of the Assad regime and placed under EU sanctions.
After her return from Syria, Ms Daly challenged the Government in the Dáil to issue a visa to Mr al-Shehabi 'so that he might come to Ireland as a businessman and Sunni Muslim who believes in secular values and talk about what has happened in Syria'.
The Irish Syria Solidarity Movement has previously criticised the trip taken to Syria by the four TDs, arguing it 'provided legitimacy to the Assad regime'. Photograph: Sam Boal/ Collins Photos
During the same contribution, Ms Daly responded to criticism of Russia's role on the regime side of the civil war, arguing 'in many cases' people in Syria 'think the Russians are heroes'.
The Irish Syria Solidarity Movement (ISSM) has previously criticised the trip taken to Syria by the four TDs, arguing it 'provided legitimacy to the Assad regime and its narrative'.
In response to questions from The Irish Times, Ms Connolly rejected any such suggestion, saying: 'The notion that my visit to Syria to gain an understanding of a humanitarian crisis, that the EU had a hand in worsening, aligns me in any way with Assad's government is not acceptable.'
She repeated she has 'never uttered one word of support' for Assad 'nor the actions of his government'.
She said: 'Assad's dictatorship committed countless atrocities and human rights abuses, all of which I have criticised on the floor of the Dáil.'
She said the year before the trip, 'many NGOs and charities on the ground, including the World Health Organisation, urged US and EU sanctions to be rescinded as they were not targeted, serving only to harm innocent civilians, often denying them essential medical supplies, leading to unnecessary deaths. A UN report and leaked memos at the time corroborated these facts'.
Ms Connolly said: 'These sanctions served as the reason for my fact-finding mission – I also made this clear on the floor of Dáil Éireann.'
Referring to Mr al-Shehabi, Ms Connolly she said 'met with a member of the Syrian opposition in his capacity as a member of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce to get an idea of how things were on the ground'.
Ms Connolly also said: 'If activists, NGOs and charities are to be blacklisted for such excursions, we will be damned to repeat the same mistakes in the future – it is only because of these fact-finding missions that we learned the extent of the destruction sanctions were causing to ordinary lives.
'Sanctions should never result in civilian casualties.'
Ms O'Sullivan, who retired from politics in 2020, said the trip was a 'humanitarian visit' and 'we weren't going there to support Assad'.
Asked about their interaction with Mr al-Shehabi, Ms O'Sullivan, said she did not have 'any idea of what his political views were. We met him as a businessman who wanted to get the economy in Syria back up and running again.' She insisted the trip was not 'political'.
Ms O'Sullivan is strongly supporting Ms Connolly's presidential bid, describing the Independent TD as 'a woman of integrity and honesty' who is 'not afraid to speak the truth.
'She will be an excellent president particularly with her stance on human rights.'
Ms Daly and Mr Wallace did not respond to attempts to contact them for comment.
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Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. Photograph: Getty Images
Ireland's Defence Forces
During a Dáil debate on a Defence Bill last year, Connolly said: 'We do not need an army.'
Taken in isolation these remarks could raise eyebrows and prompt criticism, given she is seeking to become president, the supreme commander of the Defence Forces.
The context, however, was a lengthy contribution where she also noted this role of the presidency; the army's aid to civil power and peacekeeping functions and said she is 'very proud' of the Defence Forces.
While they are 'under-resourced', she said 'we all stand fully behind their most basic demands in terms of money and conditions' and made criticisms of the Government over the situation.
She also said: 'Ireland will never be able to have an army. We do not need an army. We are an independent, neutral, sovereign country. Our strength lies in our independent voice. Our strength lies in making the UN institutions function better.'
The Irish Times asked Connolly to respond to the suggestion that saying Ireland did not need an army while highlighting roles it performs, like peacekeeping, is contradictory.
She reiterated that she is 'immensely proud of our Defence Forces' and its members adding: 'but pride cannot blind us to reality: conditions are worsening.
'The Defence Forces remain underfunded, under-resourced, and its members underpaid, who are left to serve and live in settings that are far below the standard they deserve. That is unacceptable, and it is long past time for change.'
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She said: 'There is no contradiction between what I said in 2024 and what I say today.
'Then, as now, I was clear: our Defence Forces are defined by their civic duties at home and their peacekeeping work abroad.
'They are not, and should never become, an army. Armies fight wars. They are increasingly militarised. They are, by their nature, at odds with a nation's neutrality.
'Our Defence Forces exist to protect our people, our sovereignty, and – in Ireland's case – to foster peace where conflict has broken out.'
She added: 'Ireland needs our Defence Forces. We must value, respect, and support their members. But Ireland does not need an army.
'Our true strength is in our independent voice, carried above the shouts of those who beat the drums of war.
'That voice must be safeguarded and amplified – at all costs.'