Russia vs Israel: Irish MP's Fiery Speech Highlights Western 'Hypocrisy'

In a fiery speech addressing the Irish government's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, MP Richard Boyd Barrett strongly attacked what he called "Western double standards," drawing comparisons with decades-old policies towards Israel.

Richard Boyd Barrett, a representative of the left-wing People Before Profit/Solidarity political party, expressed his opposition to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, blaming the policies of the Russian president Vladimir Putin for the recent crisis. Barrett also expressed his opposition to the NATO expansion which had triggered the current military offensive against Ukraine, as it applied for NATO membership.

"Vladimir Putin is a thug, an autocrat, a despot and a warmonger. His military aggression in Ukraine is completely unacceptable and he should get his troops out." - Richard Boyd Barrett

Barrett also pointed out previous international conflicts in which Russia had committed atrocities, naming Afghanistan, Chechnya, and most recently in helping the government of Kazakhstan end mass public reform protests during the first days of 2022.

In his most recent debate, Richard Boyd Barrett attacked "double standards" by the west, saying that it had taken serious and immediate decisions to sanction Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, while it continues to support the government of Israel despite decades of apartheid and oppression of Palestinians.

Citing a month-old report by the London-based Amnesty International, Richard Boyd Barrett referred to Israeli practices against Palestinians, which has been described as a "system of apartheid." 

 "The Government moved instantly - within five days - to sanction Putin’s regime and take urgent action. The strength of language that was rightly used against Putin denounced him as a barbarian, thug and warmonger, all of which are true. All of those things apply to the state of Israel in its treatment of the Palestinians and yet the Government is concerned about its use of language and does not feel it is appropriate to use the word “apartheid”". - Richard Boyd Barrett

Richard Boyd Barrett questioned his government over its support for sanctions on Russia for the week-long military invasion but not the Israeli government for its decades-old crime of apartheid.

During the speech that was widely hailed online, Barret asked the Irish government whether or not it will consider similar sanctions against Israeli officials, saying "It took five days for sanctions against Putin and his thugs but imposing sanctions for 70 years of oppression of the Palestinians would not be “helpful.” Amnesty International is calling for Israel to be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Will the Government support that? It is calling for targeted sanctions against Israeli officials who are perpetuating the system of apartheid. These are the exact same type of sanctions the Government has just initiated against Vladimir Putin. Will the Government support this? The clear answer is that the Government will not."

While many social media users shared videos of the speech online, praising Richard Boyd Barrett's remarks, Israeli commentators rushed to defend their government, saying that its policies are not similar to those of Russia against Ukrainians.

Comparisons between the global response to the crisis in Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion have grown in recent days, as Western governments and media have been accused of applying double standards to the European crisis, compared to their policies and reactions to conflicts elsewhere in the world.