People want the Taoiseach to cancel his upcoming meeting with Donald Trump on St Patrick’s Day.
The recent statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, was the first official briefing from the Irish government following the recent introduction of Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration reform.
Regarding the reforms, Minister Flanagan stated that he “shares the concerns of other EU partners” and it appears that plenty of Irish citizens also have similar worries.
A few days ago, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that Enda Kenny had been invited by Donald Trump to visit the White House.
“I was asked yesterday,” Spicer said, “About the status of the invitation to Prime Minister Kenny of Ireland to visit the United States on St Patrick’s Day and I’m pleased to announce that the President has extended that invitation. It happened during the transition period.
“We look forward to the Prime Minister attending,” Spicer finished.
Following Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton at the polls, the Taoiseach released the following statement about Trump in which he expressed his hope that “under [Trump’s] leadership, our bilateral relations will continue to prosper.”
Kenny also added that he’s looking forward to working with the new administration in the time ahead in the cause of international peace and security.
Following recent developments, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has called on Kenny to postpone his upcoming visit.
We're calling on the Taoiseach to put off his March visit to the Whitehouse. How can he hand over a bowl of Shamrock in these circumstances?
— Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) January 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/paraicgallagher/status/825674680728244224
Two petitions have also been created by Irish citizens which urge the Taoiseach to refuse any offer to visit the White House.
One of the petitions states that “I want Enda Kenny to be aware that if he does decide to travel to meet President Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day, that he is not travelling in my name.” The second stress the point that by boycotting the invitation, Kenny would be sending a clear message to the US President that “his decisions concerning human rights and immigration will not stand in our modern world.”
You can view both petitions here and here.
