ARCHBISHOP DIARMUID MARTIN has criticised anti-mask demonstrators, saying they were also part of a group that “tried to overturn” his car at the Eid al-Adha celebration in Croke Park earlier this year. 

In a statement titled ‘reflections on lockdown times’, Martin said that humankind had forgotten the importance of human behaviour. 

“This time last year if someone had asked us how you would fight a disastrous global pandemic, very few of us would have placed hand washing and maintaining a safe distance from others at the top of our list.”

While praising people’s generous and quick response to the global crisis, Martin said that it “it would be wrong, however, not to note the emergence of some negative trends in Irish society”.

A number of anti-mask, anti-Covid restriction demonstrations have been taking place in Dublin for the past few weekends, as well as in other counties. 

He continued:

When you look at some of the protests against mask-wearing and other restrictive measures, behind outward talk of respecting individual liberties there was also strain of negation of the virus.

Some of those who took part in these anti-mask demonstrations were the same groups that attempted to overturn my car when I attended an Islamic gathering in Croke Park.

“There are voices out there who do not understand, or do not want to understand, what religious tolerance means in the Ireland of today and that should concern all of us.”

Martin was one of a number of religious leaders who gave speeches at the first celebration of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in July this year.