Soc Dem TD Profiting From Genocide

Over the past few weeks, Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes has come under fire from pro-Palestine activists who uncovered his previous employment with Palantir Technologies through his LinkedIn profile.

The Social Democrats claimed in an article with the Daily Mail that they were unaware of his previous employment, despite this information being publicly available via his LinkedIn employment record. In a campaign video for Eoin Hayes, Róisín Shortall stated that she had known him for years - did this not even come up during the screening process for his candidacy?

Subsequently, references to Palantir were removed from Hayes’ LinkedIn profile.

During the election, Hayes, representing the self-proclaimed progressive Social Democrats, signed pledges for the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) which outline a candidates commitment not to support Israel, or businesses and practices that benefit the IDF for example.

However, concerns arose regarding his association with Palantir, a company implicated in human rights violations.

Palantir Technologies is a U.S.-based data analytics and software company known for providing intelligence tools to governments, law enforcement, and militaries. The company has faced backlash for its role in facilitating surveillance and targeting operations, particularly through its contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the military of Apartheid Israel.

Initial reports by the Daily Mail and Extra.ie highlighted the issue. Within the Social Democrats, some members downplayed Hayes’s role at Palantir and his shareholdings, advising activists to dismiss the reports as a “hit piece.”

The extent of the party leadership’s awareness is unclear, but given the calls for clarification, it is reasonable to expect they had at least, some foreknowledge.

The Social Democrats have built a reputation on advocating for Palestinian rights, with leader Holly Cairns delivering speeches in the Dáil which align with the Palestine movement. However, Social Democrats internal actions have not always aligned with their outward appearance.

Earlier this year, the party removed a candidate alleged to be a Zionist, deeming them incompatible with party values, but only after a public campaign highlighted the individual’s views. In a previous general election, a candidate accused of racism was also removed after a public campaign highlighting their views.

Role on to 2024 and we find ourselves with a new controversy, this highlights a severe issue with their candidate selection. It also shows the party that is all about electoral politics doesn’t have the same level with of seriousness that a party based on activism would have in aligning the values of representatives with the values of the movements we support.

Internal communications from branch organisers regarding Hayes, received by activists, emphasised personal factors such as the cost of living in Dublin to excuse his substantial Palantir shareholdings and seemingly downplaying the controversy.

Details about his role in Palantir have also seemed to have changed depending on the source and date, with claims that Hayes has been a consultant in the Strategy Team, Special Projects Manager, Internal Operations (HR and IT).

In any case, the role isn’t major issue right now, the real issue comes with the remuneration package of shares worth €199,000.

It should be obvious to everyone - Israel is now under investigation for the crime of genocide and Benjamin Netanyahu has a warrant out for his arrest. Palantir is inextricably linked to the war crimes being carried out in not just Gaza but the entire Middle East which is now under the threatening shadow of the rogue state of Israel.

These associations should have raised immediate questions within the Social Democrats. Instead, the party remained ambiguous, failing to pursue the facts. A political party operates on trust and holds a social contract with the people; when that trust is breached, there is a duty to correct it.

Deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan commended the press for holding them accountable, but ordinary members in the Social Democrats who sought to address Hayes’s actions were ignored, leading some to resign in protest.

So, which is it? Are the Social Democrats only accountable when a public campaign forces accountability? Or, is there a genuine appetite internally for accountability? The Press aren’t tasked with holding the Social Democrats to account, this has exposed an integrity and credibility issue within the party. One that the party leadership should have taken seriously but tried to ride it out in silence instead.

The party’s focus has been on Hayes’s misleading statements and the embarrassment caused during a press conference. There has been zero admonishment from the Social Democrats for Hayes’ retaining shares he could have divested in 2021 but held until July 2024, selling them at a high price point.

He held onto those shares as the body count in Palestine reached a horrific scale.

This profit was accrued through a company with morally disgusting practices, a company facing allegations of human rights violations and war crimes. And, the reason the shares are of such high value in 2024 should be obvious to anyone keeping an eye on what’s happening Gaza, Syria, West Bank and Lebanon.

This issue reflects not only on Hayes but also on the integrity of the Social Democrats, affecting frontline activists who feel disaffected and sidelined. It should be an eye opening and an awakening for them. There are alternatives - socialist parties that confront warmongers, the morally bankrupt, and the greedy.

Honesty, integrity, being anti-war and fighting for a system that works for everyone are core socialist values. The Social Democrats have failed in this regard, attempting to navigate this issue with ambiguity and denial culminating a twenty-minute press conference that may have cost them five years of credibility in the Dáil.

The Social Democrats aren’t opposed to capitalism and therefore cannot trace a connection between the class struggle at home and the necessity of solidarity with those oppressed by corporate imperialism and its proxies abroad.

Their inconsistency is no accident - it’s built into the DNA of a party that intentionally presents itself as a political compromise. This is where the politics of compromise with a grotesque corporate system leads. We need to fight for accountability, all day every day, to free Palestine, all day every day.