This article appeared in The Mayo News on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

For a country that has long prided itself on a history of anti-colonial struggle, human rights advocacy, and support for oppressed peoples worldwide, Ireland is now in real danger of trading off its past reputation for standing on the right side of history. Fondly we recall how Irish voices rang out in opposition to Apartheid in South Africa (led by a bunch of incredible working-class people, mostly women), and how our own history of bloody colonialisation has made us particularly sensitive and sympathetic to the plight of nations struggling under foreign dominion.