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EU foreign affairs chief criticised over ‘clear lack of understanding of Ireland's history'
A vice-president of the European Commission has been criticised over a 'clear lack of understanding of Ireland's history', following a debate in the European Parliament.
Kaja Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister who now serves as one of the vice-presidents of the Commission, singled out Ireland during a debate on the upcoming 2025 Nato summit in the Hague.
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Ms Kallas said Ireland got to 'build up their prosperity' during peace after the second World War while countries behind the Iron Curtain experienced 'atrocities, mass deportations, suppressing your culture and language'.
The remarks have been criticised as 'deeply inaccurate' by Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion, who said the vice-president was dismissive of the post-war experience of people on the island of Ireland.
Ms Kallas address to the opening session focused on the 'direct threat to the European Union' posed by Russia, as she called for member states to act with Nato allies and increase defence spending.
Ms Funchion noted the sovereign right of each member state to choose its own foreign policies and whether or not they participate in military alliances such as Nato – particularly emphasising Ireland's longstanding policy of military neutrality.
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'I hope each of you too recognises the sovereign right of my country, Ireland, to maintain its historical policy of neutrality.
'We in Ireland have a proud history and tradition of UN peacekeeping, and long may that continue.'
Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA
She added: 'I feel it is important to reference the creeping militarisation into EU politics.
'This debate has been a combination of maddening and depressing for the past two hours, listening to the vast majority of speakers.
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'I would also remind people that, at its core, the EU is supposed to be a peace project and we should not move away from this.'
In response, Ms Kallas warned that while Europe is a 'peace project', it 'only takes one to want war'
'We very clearly see right now the talks about the ceasefire that Russia doesn't want peace.'
She added: 'I also want to address our Irish colleagues. Yes, peace doesn't mean that the human suffering will stop.
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'If you surrender, you have the aggressor, and you say, 'OK, take all what you want', then it doesn't mean that the human suffering will stop.
'Our experience behind the Iron Curtain after the Second World War, countries like Ireland got to build up their prosperity, but for us it meant atrocities, mass deportations, suppressing your culture and language.
'This is what happens. It is also peace, but it's actually not freedom. It's not freedom of choice for people, and that is what the European Union is all about, and that is what we are also fighting for.'
In a statement, Ms Funchion said Ms Kallas' comments were 'ill-advised and deeply insensitive to the experiences of Irish communities still seeking justice to this day'.
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'Ireland too endured atrocities, from the Ballymurphy massacre to Bloody Sunday, where innocent civilians were shot and killed by British soldiers.
'Our people suffered internment without trial, and widespread discrimination in housing and employment, particularly in the North.
'Furthermore, the suppression of Irish language and culture has been an ongoing battle, as evidenced by the decades-long campaign for an Irish Language Act in the North.
She added: 'I have written to the vice-president asking her to withdraw her remarks and to acknowledge the reality of Ireland's past.
'I would also like to welcome Leas-Uachtaran Kallas to Ireland to meet with campaigners, victims, and families affected by legacy issues. A visit like this would offer her a valuable insight into the historical injustices many are still fighting to address.'
Ms Kallas' office has been contacted for comment.
