St. Patrick’s Day: Progressive Prez Shoehorns Fighting ‘Poisonous Xenophobia’, Climate Change, Into Annual Speech

President Michael D Higgins inspects troops during a State Ceremony to mark the centenary
Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images
Peter Caddle

Ireland’s President has used his St Patrick’s Day address to condemn the growth of what he called “poisonous xenophobia” worldwide.

Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, has said attacked the growth of what he identifies as racism and “poisonous xenophobia” in his annual St Patrick’s Day address.

Higgins, who has previously described attending anti-open borders protests as “unforgivable“, also compared the Irish patron saint to modern-day migrants due to the fact he was originally kidnapped and brought to the island from Britain as a slave.

Addressing Ireland’s native Irish population, as well as those who are “Irish by choice”, the President argued that Patrick’s alleged migrant status was proof of the benefits that foreign arrivals bring to the country, and that the saint serves as a “counterpoint” to those who would challenge the progressive multicultural view.

“There are many powerful echoes from Patrick’s life that resonate with our contemporary circumstances, ones that have brought new forms of slavery into being, where racism is increasing rather than decreasing, in so many parts of a world, where a poisonous xenophobia, new and recalled, has taken hold in so many places,” he said.

“The story of Patrick’s transformation that would lead to his becoming an emblem of the country he adopted as his own, stands in counterpoint and is so important,” he continued.

The Irish President went on to use his address to push his environmentalist green agenda, tying the story of St Patrick — without clear justification — to climate activism.

“Saint Patrick’s message was at its core one of respect for nature, for its spirituality reflected in its seasonal renewal,” Higgins said, without citation.

“Our planet is scarred by the consequences of human actions, actions often sourced in greed, actions that have had a direct bearing on our changing climate, constituting, as it does now, one of the greatest challenges of our time, reflected in extreme weather events, widespread displacement and forced migration across our world, and the loss of fertile land,” he added. “It is such a tragic injustice that those nations suffering the greatest human and economic impact of climate change are those who were least responsible for the emissions that threaten their very existence.”

The Irish President’s use of St Patrick’s day to push progressive ideals is not surprising considering how eager many of the country’s elites are to use the holiday to advocate for the many tenets of left-wing ideology.

This year’s celebrations have been punctuated with calls for “diversity” and “inclusivity”, with the government rolling out a host of drag queens to promote the yearly festival within the country.

Such a weaponisation of the holiday is also in keeping with Higgins’ own modus operandi, with the former Labour-left minister using his time in the largely ceremonial position to push many modern sensibilities on the likes of gender and immigration.

For example, amid a recent row sparked by the government wanting to teach transgenderism to primary school students, Higgins butted in to say that schools should be forced to teach about sexuality to the “fullest sense“, and that any that refuses should be punished by the state.

Higgins has also waded into free speech debates internationally, repeatedly denouncing tech-billionaire Elon Musk for his takeover of Twitter as a “form of dictatorship“, as well as “incredible and dangerous narcissism“.

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