A chara,
Fintan O’Toole’s invocation of the Spanish Civil War in his recent column may be rhetorically striking, but it is a facile analogy that does little to illuminate the grave realities of the war in Ukraine – a war that continues to bring immense suffering to the Ukrainian people.
Irish republicans rightly honour those who went to Spain in the 1930s to confront fascism. Their courage deserves respect. But to deploy that history as a blunt instrument in today’s debate about EU financial packages and military policy reduces a complex contemporary conflict – and the human tragedy unfolding in Ukraine – to a convenient morality play.
Let us deal in facts. Sinn Féin has consistently and unequivocally condemned Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces. We support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We support humanitarian assistance, reconstruction funding, sanctions on Moscow and accountability for war crimes. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who have endured displacement, destruction and profound loss. There is no moral equivalence here. Russia invaded. Russia bears responsibility.
The vote in the European Parliament to which Mr O’Toole refers was not a vote on whether Ukraine has the right to exist, nor a judgment on who the aggressor is. It concerned a €90 billion EU financial package within a broader trajectory of EU militarisation and defence integration. Collapsing that complexity into the insinuation that any dissent amounts to “waving Putin through” may suit a polemical column. It does not constitute sound policymaking.
Supporting Ukraine does not require endorsing every military-finance mechanism placed before the Parliament. One can stand firmly for sovereignty and international law while scrutinising proposals that embed long-term war-financing structures into EU institutions. That is not appeasement; it is democratic accountability exercised in the interests of lasting peace.
Ireland’s military neutrality is not passivity. It is an active policy choice to prioritise diplomacy, conflict resolution and humanitarian engagement over military alignment. It has strengthened our credibility in peace processes and ensured that we are not drawn into great-power blocs. Sinn Féin’s position flows from that tradition and from legitimate concerns about deeper EU militarisation – not from alignment with any other government’s agenda.
The lesson of Spain is not that more weapons always provide the answer. It is that democratic nations must not abandon those under attack. Sinn Féin does not advocate abandonment. We support sanctions, humanitarian aid, reconstruction and Ukraine’s right to self-defence under international law. What we question is open-ended escalation without a credible diplomatic strategy running in parallel – because ultimately it is Ukrainian families who bear the heaviest cost of a prolonged war.
Wars end through negotiation and political settlement. Every year this war continues brings devastating human cost and risks further destabilisation. The responsible question is how this conflict is brought to a just and durable conclusion that allows the people of Ukraine to live in security and peace.
Ukraine deserves serious strategy, sustained solidarity and a genuine pathway to peace – not reductive analogies.
Is Mise,
Lynn Boylan MEP
