HUMPHREYS WELCOMES BOYD-BARRETT CONDEMNATION OF AL-QAEDA, CALLS FOR END TO SUPPORT FOR OTHER TERROR GROUPS

STATEMENT BY CLLR RICHARD HUMPHREYS

Labour Party Councillor for Stillorgan

Sunday, 8 May 2011

HUMPHREYS WELCOMES BOYD-BARRETT CONDEMNATION OF AL-QAEDA, CALLS FOR END TO SUPPORT FOR OTHER TERROR GROUPS

Cllr Richard Humphreys, the Labour Party Councillor for the Stillorgan Ward, has welcomed Deputy Richard Boyd-Barrett’s condemnation this week of the Al-Qaeda terror organisation.  He was responding to the news that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had published a newsletter, “Inspire”, which quoted approvingly from Richard Boyd-Barrett T.D.

“An unequivocal condemnation of a terrorist organisation is something which I never heard during Deputy Boyd-Barrett’s two years on the Council, so this news is very welcome.” Humphreys said.  “However it is now incumbent on Deputy Boyd-Barrett to end the support for or association with other terrorist groups that has been engaged in by him or his political party” Humphreys said.

“Deputy Boyd-Barrett’s Party, the Socialist Workers Party, has openly stated in its newspaper, the “Socialist Worker”, in August 2006 that it supports Hamas and Hezbollah.” Humphreys said.  “Hamas is named by the EU as a terrorist organisation.  Its charter is openly anti-Semitic and it has engaged in Holocaust denial.  Likewise Hezbollah has been categorised by many governments internationally as terrorist and is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel.”

“Boyd-Barrett himself spoke at an Al-Aqsa Conference in April 2009 at which Hamas paramilitary material was openly on display, and he shared a platform with speakers who openly voiced support for the jihad, the Taliban and the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents.”

“Many of these Iraqi and Afghan “insurgents” belong to the very organisation, Al-Qaeda, that Boyd-Barrett now says he deplores.”

“In 2005 Boyd-Barrett jetted off to a Conference in Cairo attended by extremist organisations.   The conference was addressed by an individual who is linked to Muqtada Al-Sadr’s death squads that have murdered hundreds of people including women and children, tortured and executed gay people and imposed brutal sharia law on the areas they control.”

“It is high time for Deputy Boyd-Barrett to condemn terrorist organisations altogether.  If he cannot do that he should come clean and give the people of Dun Laoghaire a list of the terrorist organisations which he does support.” Humphreys said.

Ends