I’m victim of smear campaign, says Barrett

THE leader of the No to Nice campaign, Justice Barrett, yesterday claimed he was a victim of a smear campaign after his alleged links with a right-wing group of German Neo-Nazis were exposed.

Mr Barrett, a leading figure in the anti-abortion group Youth Defence, spoke at a right-wing National Democratic Party (NDP) rally in Germany which authorities there believe has Nazi characteristics. But Mr Barrett yesterday rejected claims he had any links with the party and insisted he had no knowledge of the group’s policies.

The revelations prompted further division in the No camp yesterday, as the Greens moved to distance themselves from the remarks. “We have no links whatsoever with this party,” Mr Barrett said. “I believe I may have spoken on the abortion issue to this party and others, but I’ve had no contact with them. We certainly have no organisational links, we are not part of the one organisation and I don’t even know what the party’s ideology is.”

It was reported yesterday that Mr Barrett was an honorary guest at an NPD meeting in May 2000 at which a standing ovation was given to a former Nazi SS officer. The German Government applied two years ago to the country’s highest court to have the NPD banned. It argued that the party posed a threat to democracy.

In a statement yesterday, the Green Party dissociated itself from Mr Barrett as John Gormley TD condemned the activities of far-right political groups.

But one of the leading No to Nice campaigners, Anthony Coughlan, defended his actions and accused the Yes camp of launching a smear campaign against the group. “In my view, he’s an estimable young man and maybe was a bit naive. If we are all to justify every meeting we ever went to, I don’t think anyone would stand up to judgment,” Mr Coughlan said.

“There are very powerful forces involved in the Yes campaign and they have already tried to smear me, by accusing me of being a xenophobe for my views on immigration.”

The Yes campaign was quick to seize on the bad publicity for Mr Barrett yesterday, as several groups accused him of stretching the truth by denying any knowledge of the NDP’s background.

Labour leader Ruairí Quinn and Fianna Fáil’s Dick Roche TD said Mr Barrett now had to “come clean” on all his contacts with extreme right-wing organisations on the continent. Mr Barrett admitted that it was a mistake to attend the rally and again insisted he had no knowledge of the group’s political leanings.

“On the assumption that this party is what it says it is, then it’s unfortunate that I attended. But I don’t bear any responsibility for what I consider to be a relatively small error of judgment,” he said.