Phone and passport confiscated in Egypt from Irish politician marching to Gaza
An Irish politician has had his phone and passport confiscated by Egyptian authorities while on a march to Gaza.
Paul Murphy, a TD (MP) for People Before Profit-Solidarity, was among a large group of people attempting to reach the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
A party spokesman said he and others have been forced onto buses and it is believed they are being taken to Cairo for deportation.
Mr Murphy flew to Cairo on Thursday and set off towards Gaza on Friday.
Prior to his phone being taken, he said in a social media post: 'We have had our passports confiscated and are being detained.
'It seems Egyptian authorities have decided to crack down on the #GreatMarchToGaza.'
My bus and group of marchers has been stopped by the Egyptian authorities and our passports taken.
They are telling us to get on a bus, but it is not clear where they will take us. We fear they intend to report us to stop us from marching to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/S2h5cCeviC
— Paul Murphy 🇵🇸 (@paulmurphy_TD) June 13, 2025
Mr Murphy said his passport had been confiscated by the Egyptian army, along with the passports of other people in the group who were stopped.
He said those being detained were being asked to board a bus and he believed they were going to be deported.
He added: 'We are refusing to board the deportation bus.'
Mr Murphy told the PA news agency that several other Irish citizens were among those who have been stopped.
In a video, he said: 'It's looking worrying that the Egyptian authorities are going to act to prevent our peaceful march to Gaza, to demand that Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid, of food, of water, of medical supplies, is ended.
'I'm just asking people to redouble their efforts, to get on to your own Government, in Ireland's case get on to (Foreign Affairs Minister) Simon Harris, your local TD, ask them to pressurise the Egyptian regime to allow us to engage in our peaceful march.'
He added: 'The world has watched a horrific genocide for the past 20 months. Since March, a total attempt of starvation.
'And that this a peaceful march to demand that it be ended and demand that western governments stop their complicity.'
Mr Murphy also posted a livestream video on X in which Egyptian authorities could be seen forcibly dragging some of the participants away from a sit-down protest.
The livestream abruptly ended after his phone was taken, a People Before Profit spokesman said, adding that the party is no longer able to contact him.
A post by an administrator on his X account says: 'We urgently need Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris to intervene, demand he is freed, his passport and phone returned and the protesters are allowed to peacefully march to Gaza.'
People Before Profit national secretary Matt Collins said: 'The Irish government must contact the Egyptian authorities to demand the release of Paul and the others who have been detained.
'They are travelling to join a peaceful march to demand that humanitarian aid is delivered to starving people in Gaza. There is no reason for them to be detained or deported.
'We also call on the public to contact the Egyptian embassy to demand that people on the Global March to Gaza are allowed to travel unhindered'.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said it was 'closely monitoring the situation' along with its embassy in Egypt.
'Embassy officials are engaging with the relevant local authorities and are in contact with EU and other partners regarding the situation.
'The department is in contact with a number of citizens and is providing advice and guidance.
'As set out in our travel advice, the vicinity of the Rafah border crossing is particularly dangerous at the moment and the border crossing is currently closed.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
The left needs to act more boldly or we are all doomed
According to immigration lawyers, agents arrested people – including families with small children – and held them in a stuffy office basement for days without sufficient food and water. Given the brutal nature of these raids, and the failure to uphold basic human rights (such as the right to due process and the right to legal representation), it is no wonder that protests have taken place. However, unlike the 1992 LA riots, the protests sparked by the actions of ICE have been overwhelmingly peaceful, and have been confined to a six-block stretch of downtown LA. READ MORE: Israel launches second wave of major strikes on Iran Yet, despite this, Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to be deployed against the California governor's wishes – the first time since 1965 that a president had deployed National Guard troops to a state without a governor's request. Although it is heartening to see ordinary Americans beginning to make a stand against the inhumane, illegal, and downright cruel actions of the Trump administration, we cannot forget the path that led the United States here – corruption, obscene inequality, and the deliberate fanning of the flames of racism and bigotry. I find myself grateful on a daily basis that I do not live in America, only to be reminded that these issues are much closer to home than many of us care to admit. Over the last several nights, Ballymena in Northern Ireland has been rocked by racist riots. They began after a vigil held for a teenage girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two 14-year-olds. (Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire) When rumours spread that a Romanian interpreter was in the court, it was enough to ignite the racism that has long been simmering away. Police said the unrest escalated into racially motivated violence, with mobs targeting foreign residents by breaking their windows, and setting fire to their homes. The justification given for these racist riots is that residents feel their community is being 'overrun' by foreigners, and that it has happened very quickly. For context, 3.4% of Northern Ireland's population are from ethnic minority backgrounds compared to 12.9% in Scotland and 18.3% in England and Wales. Northern Ireland is the least diverse part of the United Kingdom. The rioters claim immigrants are 'freeloading' off taxpayer-funded resources, and are committing crimes. Again, this is an age-old claim which barely masks the racism motivating it. But when a young, white, Irish or British person moves to somewhere like Australia or Spain to start a new life, we encourage them and wish them the best. We do not assume they are scroungers looking to suck resources away from native Australians, so why is it different when people come to the UK for a better life? Equally, the vast majority of sexual assaults in the UK are committed by white men born in the UK – where are the riots then? The anger and despair that people feel when they see their communities decline, their opportunities disappear and their national institutions disintegrate is completely understandable and justified. The problem comes when that righteous anger is manipulated and aimed at entirely the wrong people. While standards of living in the UK continue to decline, while social security is dismantled piece by piece – no matter which party is in government – when the waiting lists for NHS appointments and decent housing seem to only ever grow, it is fair to feel angry and attacked. However, when the richest people in society are getting richer while ordinary people are simultaneously told that they must, again, tighten their belts, it seems obvious to me where that anger should be directed. And it certainly is not at immigrants just trying to live their lives. This same manipulation of that anger and despair that we have seen in the US, and in Northern Ireland, can also be seen much closer to home in Scotland. Nigel Farage's Reform UK came third in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. It was once unthinkable that Farage would ever enjoy even close to that level of success in politics, never mind in Scottish politics. As I have said previously, something is going to eventually give way. People are desperate for change from the status quo, and they will vote for whoever they perceive to be deviating the most from it, no matter how false that perception is. Given that the status quo has been moving increasingly further to the right, it is the perfect time for left-leaning political parties to think and act boldly. If they don't, then we are all doomed.
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
King to mark official birthday with Trooping the Colour parade
The King has requested a minute's silence be observed in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed, and others affected, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. Black armbands will also be worn by the head of state and senior royals riding in the ceremony, also known as the King's Birthday Parade, staged in Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. The King, Colonel-in-Chief of the Coldstream Guards, inspected the regiment during a ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on Friday (Henry Nicholls/PA) On horseback and wearing the armbands will be the Royal Colonels – Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel Scots Guards. The Queen, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh are expected to be among the royal party watching the event and royal fans will hope Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will join them as they did last year. Members of the royal family not taking part in the parade and who normally watch events from the Duke of Wellington's former office will not wear black armbands. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy'. In 2017, Trooping was held a few days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute's silence, a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II. The King issued a written message soon after the Air India plane crash saying he was 'desperately shocked by the terrible events' and expressing his 'deepest possible sympathy'. He was kept updated about the developing situation on Thursday and it later emerged there was a sole survivor, UK national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Trooping the Colour will see more than 1,000 servicemen taking part in the military display who when not performing ceremonial duties are fighting soldiers. The colour – regimental flag – being trooped this year is the King's Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, a prestigious regiment known as the sovereign's bodyguard which is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year. The day will end with the royal family gathering on Buckingham Palace's balcony for the traditional RAF flypast.
South Wales Argus
8 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Petrol bombs thrown at police during fifth night of Northern Ireland disorder
After serious public disorder erupted in Ballymena on Monday, the focus of the violence and unrest has since shifted to Portadown. One officer was directly in the impact of a petrol bomb that landed behind a line of police vehicles during a sustained standoff with those participating in the unrest on Friday. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill speaking during the British-Irish Council (BIC) summit at the Slieve Donard resort in Co Down (Liam McBurney/PA) Fireworks, masonry, and bottles were among other items thrown at riot police deployed in the town. Shortly before midnight, the PSNI used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas. The force used the water cannon again at around 12.30am on Saturday. Elsewhere on Friday, there were reports of disruption and damage to public property as riot police responded to another protest in the Tullyally area of Londonderry. It came after a senior officer said there would be a 'scaled-up' policing presence across Northern Ireland in anticipation of further disorder over the weekend. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the mobilisation, which would include officers sent over from Scotland, was 'to reassure our communities and protect our streets'. A person wearing a Union flag stands near armed police in Portadown in Co Armagh (Brian Lawless/PA) Disorder started in Ballymena on Monday after an alleged sexual assault of a girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend, and continued throughout the week. The unrest and riotous behaviour spread to other towns including Larne, Belfast and Coleraine. A number of homes were targeted, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has said about 50 households have received assistance across the week, and 14 families have been provided with emergency accommodation. A police representative group said at least 63 police officers have been injured in the five days of disorder, which led political leaders to call for calm during a meeting of the British Irish Council in Newcastle, Co Down, on Friday. First Minister Michelle O'Neill said everyone is condemning the disorder and calling for it to stop. 'What we have seen over the last four days has been devastation, has been horrific for those people targeted – this is women and children, these are families, at the brunt of racist, violent attacks, and it is wrong on every level,' she said. 'The whole of the Executive is united on that front.' Damaged property at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly described a 'difficult time for Northern Ireland' with 'disgraceful scenes of violent disorder', and said her thoughts are with the residents of the areas affected. Additional police officers from Scotland supported the PSNI after a mutual aid request. Scottish First Minister John Swinney said it was an illustration of how cooperation between police forces is 'absolutely essential'. While disorder in Ballymena raged across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, it appeared to have largely abated in that town by Thursday. However, disorder instead flared in Portadown – although generally at a lower intensity compared to scenes seen earlier in the week. There have also been incidents in other towns, including the burning of Larne Leisure Centre on Wednesday and an arson attack on a house in Coleraine in the early hours of Friday, from which a man and woman, and four young children escaped. A police officer at the scene after an attack on Larne Leisure Centre (Liam McBurney/PA) It is being treated by police as arson with a racially motivated hate element. The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said that since violence erupted in Ballymena on Monday, 63 officers have been injured. Federation chairman Liam Kelly said it has been 'a week of shame with appalling levels of unrest in towns and cities'. 'Burning people out of their homes, attacking a leisure centre, and the specific targeting of individuals and property fuelled by overt racism and prejudice, is totally deplorable,' he said. 'Yet again, our overstretched police officers have also been attacked with petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks as they sought to keep people safe and maintain law and order. 'They have held the line with great courage and professionalism and are owed a debt of gratitude by this community. Youths in Portadown in Co Armagh on Thursday (Brian Lawless/PA) 'They went to the aid of vulnerable people, have prevented further savage attacks and have undoubtedly saved lives.' Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned on Thursday that his officers would be coming after the 'bigots and racists' behind the disorder. He also said that the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena at the weekend had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting across the week.
