Pro-Palestinian protesters heckled US Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during a talk at UCD on Thursday evening.
Bernie Sanders was speaking to David McWilliams during the opening event of the Dalkey Book Festival at UCD's O'Reilly Hall on Thursday when several protesters interrupted the sold-out event.
One protester was evicted from the venue, while two others regularly interrupted the talk.
Protesters accused Sanders, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel in US politics, of being a zionist and a genocide denier, according to the Irish Times.
Sanders told the protesters that public meetings play a vital role in democracy and that disrupting them was wrong, earning a standing ovation from the 1,000 people in attendance at O'Reilly Hall.
He also told the protesters that "slogans are not solutions", the Irish Times reports.
Sanders earned a loud round of applause when he stated that Israel has the right to defend itself but does not have the right to "go to war against the entire Palestinian people".
Sanders told McWilliams that the US has historically supported Israel but said Israel now has an "extreme right-wing government" and several racist cabinet members.
He added that there is no appreciation in the US of "how bad" Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is.
McWilliams asked Sanders if Ireland should support South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The case argues that Israel has been committing genocide and apartheid in the Gaza Strip, but Sanders said people should be careful about using the word genocide, leading to more disruptions.
"What is going on now is absolutely outrageous. We have to do everything we can to stop the killing of innocent men, women and children. We need the UN to try to bring about a ceasefire and a humanitarian pause to bring in desperately needed aid," Sanders told McWilliams.
Sanders additionally discussed the upcoming US presidential election and said President Joe Biden must have an "agenda that speaks to ordinary people" if he wishes to win a second term in office.
He added that he disagreed with Biden on many issues but said a Trump presidency would be "far, far worse" for the US, claiming that democracy is at stake.
Sanders attended the Dalkey Book Festival to promote his new book "It's OK To Be Angry At Capitalism".
Earlier on Thursday, the Vermont Senator met with students at the Philosophical Society in Trinity College Dublin and told them that they must hold billionaires to account.
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