Ukrainians in Ireland have defended an Irish priest who attacked the Russian embassy – but they have urged against burning the building.
Fr Fergal MacDonagh, 61, hurled a can of red paint at the embassy in Dublin last Friday in protest at Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine.
Fr MacDonagh, a former prison chaplain who is now a parish priest in Dublin’s south inner city, has been defended by Ukrainian community group called the Association of Ukrainians in Ireland.
Its spokesman Anatoliy Prymakov attended the anti-war protests in Dublin last Saturday and he told the Irish Mirror: “We understand the priest’s anger and why he did that, we get it.
“But the Ukrainian community does not want buildings destroyed or burned down. We are not in favour of that.”
Anatoliy, 30, came to Dublin as a 15-year-old in 2007 and later graduated with a business degree and now works in a city bank.
He added: “We overwhelmingly support the idea of the ambassador’s expulsion, we defend that.
“But we do not agree with burning down the Russian embassy. The embassy is prime real estate. Let’s use it for Ukrainians.”
Fr MacDonagh rang RTE Radio One's Liveline show last Friday recalled how people who were angry at the killing of 13 unarmed innocent civilians in Derry on Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972 burned down the British Embassy in Dublin days later.
Live on air, Fr MacDonagh said: “We have to let Ukraine know that we are with them and one of the options we burning the embassy to the ground.”
The priest has been informed that he is to receive a court summons for alleged criminal damage in relation to the red paint.
