Bertie Ahern Clarifies Immigration Stance After 'Africans' Video Sparks Criticism in Ireland
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 13
Bertie Ahern Clarifies Immigration Stance After 'Africans' Video Sparks Criticism in Ireland
4 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 13
RTÉ quoted Bertie Ahern saying he has "no problem" with people entering Ireland through visa and asylum systems after a video captured him saying, "The ones I worry about are the Africans."
The more than 5-minute recording, reportedly made about 9 or 10 days ago while he canvassed in a Dublin housing estate, shows Ahern telling a voter there were "too many" people coming from places including Congo.
Micheál Martin called the remarks "not appropriate," saying it was wrong to single out any ethnicity, though he later told parliament he understood Ahern had withdrawn the comments.
The episode lands as immigration remains politically charged in Ireland: asylum applications rose from about 3,000-4,000 a year before Covid to more than 18,500, while net immigration fell last year to 59,700 from 79,300 in 2024.
With a new asylum law and rising tensions, is Ireland's 'welcome' for refugees officially over?
Is Ahern's secret recording a simple gaffe, or the unfiltered voice of a public strained by immigration?
As Ireland's new asylum law takes effect, will it fix a 'broken' system or violate human rights?