The Workers Party of Ireland condemns the decision of Trinity College Dublin to award an honorary degree to former US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, on 22nd June 2018.

It is shameful that an Irish educational institution seeks to associate itself with a US politician of deeply reactionary views and hawkish pro-imperialist positions.

At a time of great poverty and inequality Clinton slavishly adheres to the capitalist market as the driving force in society and she has a long history of support for aggressive and bloody imperialist intervention across the globe. She remains an emphatic supporter of the racist state of Israel despite its murderous campaign against the Palestinians. Clinton has condemned the peaceful boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. She regards Jerusalem as the “eternal and indivisible capital of Israel,” and has supported legislation requiring the U.S. government to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and
move the U.S. Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv despite the tragic consequences of such a policy.

She supported the Helms–Burton Act of 1996 which strengthened and continued the U.S. embargo against Cuba and she opposed Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, his government and the Bolivarian Revolution.

Clinton favours increased sanctions on the DPRK. She voted for the Iraq War resolution which permitted Bush to unleash a devasting war on Iraq and played a key role in persuading Obama to militarily intervene in Libya. She supported the 2009 increase in U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan where around 220,000 Afghans have died since the 2001 U.S. invasion. In the past she has refused to rule out a military strike against Iran and she has repeatedly advocated a “no-fly zone” over Syria which would aid the terrorist war against that state.

In the imperialist aggression against Yugoslavia Clinton urged the bombing of Serbia. In January 2015, Clinton called for increased U.S. financial aid, military equipment and weaponry, and military training to Ukraine. She continues to exhibit an aggressive hostility towards China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

She supported the deeply repressive Patriot Act when it was first enacted and has called for the prosecution of Edward Snowden, the whistle-blower who exposed the scale of government mass surveillance. She favours the retention of capital punishment.

Clinton has been described as neo-liberal on economics and neo-con on war, militarism and foreign policy. As a strong supporter of NATO, an aggressive military alliance acting exclusively in the interests of capitalism and the monopolies, Clinton advocates the expansion of NATO and its war machine.

Imperialism has a long history of interference, aggression, intervention, occupation and war. It has blighted the lives of millions of people across the globe. NATO promotes militarisation, increased military spending and the continuation of the arms race and operates and maintains a vast network of military bases in foreign territories across the world.

The Workers Party urges workers, students and peace activists to denounce this shameful award to Hilary Clinton and to protest as a demonstration of their contempt.

International Section
Workers Party of Ireland