Paul Murphy with other members of the Irish delegation to the Peace March for Gaza on their return to Dublin Airport on Tuesday
TD Paul Murphy returns to Ireland after being detained twice in Egypt
Tallaght TD Paul Murphy returned to Ireland this Tuesday afternoon after being detained twice by Egyptian authorities over a planned peace march on Gaza.
The People Before Profit TD was first detained last Friday, June 13, along with a number of Irish and international activists attempting to take part in a protest march from Egypt to Gaza to highlight the ongoing aid blockade.
After being released that evening near Cairo airport, Deputy Murphy was detained a second time on Monday afternoon when he went to a police station to retrieve his phone which had been seized by authorities.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Tuesday, June 17, the TD said his release had been “a slow, bureaucratic process”.
“Things were taking a long time. I asked to leave and was told I couldn’t,” he said.
“The whole time they had my passport, and it became clear that I was being detained, as unfortunately hundreds of have been in Egypt, and many people deported.”
After being held by police in Cairo for nine hours, Deputy Murphy landed back in Ireland at around 2pm on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at Dublin Airport, he said the organisers of the Global March to Gaza had accepted that they would not be able to proceed as planned to the Rafah border crossing.
While he was “disappointed with the stance that the Egyptian state took, he said the Egyptian people had shown “tremendous support” for the march.
Deputy Murphy was one of ten Irish activists who flew home on Tuesday, with some remaining in Egypt, and he confirmed that all Irish citizens had been released.
He also dismissed criticism from Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins, who stated that the Gaza march was carried out “on the basis of publicity than maybe delivery”, and that Deputy Murphy’s time would be better spent in the Dáil.
“I think my constituents and most people in this country want [politicians] to do everything they can to stop this genocide,” he said.
