Irish Left With Ukraine – Neither Moscow nor Washington

Letters to the Editor from Fintan Lane, Irish Times, 13th and 15th June 2023

An Open Letter to Fintan Lane

17th June 2024

Dear Fintan,

You have been an indefatigable campaigner for the freedom of Palestine and the protection of Irish neutrality. We know each other for many years and I have the highest respect for you as a thoroughly sincere, committed and courageous fighter for these and other causes.

In several public letters and statements on Irish neutrality, for instance in Letters to the Irish Times on 13th and 15th June 2024 (see above), you have referred to the war in Ukraine, and government support for Ukraine, as examples of breaches of neutrality that should be opposed. You rightly claim that “widespread revulsion at Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine is clearly being relied on to avert criticism of a fundamental shift in Irish foreign policy”. It is also true that a renewed campaign to defend Irish neutrality has been continually used to attack any Irish support for Ukraine in its war of defence.

I believe that on Ukraine, as on Gaza, a socialist, anti-imperialist, democrat or any humane person, cannot be neutral, and that support for Ukraine, and for Palestine, in their struggles for survival against barbaric aggression, are compatible with Irish neutrality. Irish neutrality should and must mean refusing membership or support for any imperialist military alliance or entity, be it NATO, Russia, China, or an EU army, or any of the alliances these have created across the world. On struggles against these empires socialists and anti-imperialists cannot be neutral. As we were not neutral on the war in Vietnam, even though the forces of resistance were armed and supplied by powers that were far from paragons of democracy and human rights. As James Connolly advocated and organised a military Rising for national liberation at the same time as he led the opposition to the World War between rival imperialisms, and as he accepted arms for the Rising from one of those imperialisms.

The onslaught on Ukraine by Russia cries out for the focus and attention of the left as deservedly as does the the onslaught on Gaza by Israel backed by the US. Casualties in Ukraine have been relatively less than in Gaza but still horrific by any standards. In the first two years of the invasion, that is up to four months ago, the United Nations figures for civilian casualties indicated 10,582 civilians killed and 19,875 injured. “The actual numbers are likely significantly higher.” In its monthly update on civilian harm, the UN said conflict-related violence killed at least 174 civilians and injured 690 in Ukraine in May, the highest number of civilian casualties since June 2023. Many more thousands of military personnel have been killed.

Just as for Israeli behaviour in Palestine, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have reached findings against Russian crimes in Ukraine and issued warrants of arrest. On March 16, 2022, the International Court of Justice indicated that “the Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations it began on February 24, 2022 in the territory of Ukraine”. On 17 March 2023 the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer of children during the war. 

In complete contrast to almost the entire organised Irish radical left, which has strained admirably in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza, but withheld solidarity from Ukraine (in the presence of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland), almost the entire left in France has now united in a New Popular Front of opposition to the far right which includes in its political platform support and solidarity for both Palestine and Ukraine.

I reject peace plans designed only to serve the invader and occupier, as the people of Palestine and Ukraine clearly do. I support the right and need of Ukraine to procure arms and material for its defence from anywhere it can including Ireland. I don’t believe this contradicts Irish neutrality, which should of course be defended, and I believe it is the only stance consistent with internationalism. I hope you, and others, will give consideration to these observations made in good faith and in the spirit of the public discussion you have called for.

Yours in continued respect and affection,

Des Derwin.