Fianna Fáil MEP calls on Bertie Ahern to apologise for immigration remarks

Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has called on Bertie Ahern to apologise over comments made during canvassing. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

A Fianna Fáil MEP is calling on former taoiseach Bertie Ahern to issue an apology for comments he made about migrants and Muslims during a by-election canvass in Dublin last week.

The Irish Examiner reported on Wednesday that Mr Ahern was recorded without his knowledge while canvassing door-to-door in Dublin Central while being questioned about immigration.

He said he believed there were “too many” immigrants coming into the country.

“But the ones I worry about are the Africans,” he said, "We can’t be taking in people from the Congo and all these places. I think there's too many from those places.”

Mr Ahern also said he was not concerned about the current generation of Muslim people but was worried about the next generation.

He has since said he has “no problems” with people from Africa or the Congo, as he admitted he should not have made comments about Muslims while canvassing.

Call for apology

“Words matter, and it is important that his words are clarified,” Cynthia Ní Mhurchú said. She said she had been “surprised and saddened” by the comments.

Ms Ní Mhurchú said she respected Mr Ahern, was fond of him, and believed the comments were “out of character”.

“I just would ask Bertie to consider issuing an apology. It's really important in the current climate that we're in that words that are spoken are clarified to the nth degree, and I appreciate Bertie has gone to great lengths to explain the context of what he said, and I've listened to the full interview that was recorded without his permission," she told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland on Thursday.

"But nonetheless the words as they stand themselves are not words that represent my views and my opinions . I agree with the Taoiseach that we can't be calling out a certain ethnicity , we cannot be calling out a certain race or a certain country . It is very unhelpful and, as I say, I was extremely surprised and saddened.

"I really would like if an apology was issued by him because apologies do matter particularly in the current climate," Ms Ní Mhurchú added.

Mixed reaction within Fianna Fáil

However, party colleague and Dublin City councillor Niall Ring described the incident as “gotcha politics at the lowest level” and “a storm in a teacup.”

Mr Ring said it was important to consider the comments in the “overall context”.

“If we start cancelling and looking for apologies based on a 10-second clip taken out of context, nobody would be safe from the woke brigade," he said.

“It's really a storm in a teacup. What Bertie was saying actually reflects the concerns and the realities. He was speaking bluntly about the speed and scale of migration, and it's the reality he was talking about . If the political establishment isn't able for the reality, they should look at themselves," Mr Ring added.

He acknowledged that the comments about Muslims and the Congo were “probably ill-judged”.