LONDON — Leaders of Sinn Féin announced on Friday that they will not participate in the customary St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House next month, citing their disapproval of President Donald Trump’s policies regarding the Gaza Strip.
Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of the Irish party, criticized the Trump administration’s position as “catastrophically” misguided. She stated she is taking a “principled stance against the potential mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.” The President’s plan involves relocating approximately 2 million Palestinians to facilitate what he describes as the transformation of the region into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed this vision, the proposal faces unanimous rejection from Palestinian and Arab nations, raising concerns among global leaders and complicating ceasefire efforts.
McDonald expressed her deepening anxiety over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, stating, “Like many other Irish individuals, I have been horrified by the rhetoric from the President of the United States, advocating for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and the permanent appropriation of their lands.”
Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s First Minister and vice president of Sinn Féin, joined McDonald in this boycott, declaring her commitment to “the side of humanity.” Sinn Féin, a left-leaning party, has gained significant parliamentary representation in the Republic of Ireland over the last two elections, although it has been excluded from coalition governments due to its historical connections with the Irish Republican Army during the violent period in Northern Ireland.
Despite its difficulties in the Republic, Sinn Féin holds the largest number of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where O’Neill shares power with Democratic Unionist Party deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly. The party’s significant contributions to the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement have bolstered its profile within the United States, which houses a large Irish diaspora, despite its status as a minority party in Ireland.
Traditionally, the White House gathering features the Irish prime minister, or taoiseach, presenting the U.S. president with a bowl of shamrocks while both leaders don green ties to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This tradition traces back to the 1950s when the Irish ambassador to the U.S. gifted a box of shamrocks to President Harry Truman; over time, it evolved into high-profile visits by the prime minister or other top officials from Ireland.
In a notable instance from 1995, President Bill Clinton extended an invitation to Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams for the event, a move that drew criticism from the British government. This year marks the first occasion since the peace agreement that Sinn Féin leaders will not make the trip to Washington for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
Additionally, in 2016, Gerry Adams was barred from attending the White House event due to security concerns, although later indications from the Secret Service attributed this to an administrative error. At that time, McDonald, serving as deputy leader, was permitted entry to the event.
