​​​​​​​LONDON

Ireland’s long-standing representative on a leading European body told a legal publication Wednesday that he resigned in protest because the group failed to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Michael Farrell, a prominent human rights lawyer, stepped down from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) after 14 years over the weekend.

He cited the organization’s refusal to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to support humanitarian aid efforts as the reasons for his departure.

Farrell told Irish Legal News he had attempted several times to raise the situation in Gaza during ECRI meetings.

He was finally able to propose a formal motion at the most recent plenary meeting in early July, but it was rejected as being outside the group’s mandate.

ECRI, which operates under the Council of Europe, monitors whether European states comply with human rights standards.

Farrell argued that the commission should be concerned, given that several major Council of Europe member states are supplying weapons to Israel, which are being used in genocidal attacks on Gaza.

He noted that aid agencies in countries like Ireland are struggling to deliver food and medical supplies to displaced Palestinian families.

“I felt I could not continue to take part in criticizing states for failing to observe domestic human rights if I could not comment on the appalling attacks in Gaza which are made possible by weapons supplied by other Council of Europe states,” he said.

“I am sorry to have to leave ECRI, which has done good work, and there are many other members who are also deeply distressed at what is happening in Gaza but do not know what they can do to stop it.”

Describing his resignation as a “small action,” Farrell urged Council of Europe member states to act urgently to prevent the “total devastation of Gaza — and the West Bank as well.”

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 58,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to widespread hunger and outbreaks of disease.​​​​​​​