Sinn Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile called on the Irish Government to give practical assistance to Emma and Jake DeSouza.

The couple have been burdened with legal costs running into tens of thousands of pounds, because she stood in defence of the Good Friday Agreement and citizens rights, in the face of intransigence by the British Home Office.

Speaking after the Order of Business in the Seanad today, Sinn Féin’s Group Leader said:

“Emma DeSouza’s stand is a stand for all of us. It is a stand for the Good Friday Agreement, a stand for citizens rights and a stand for Article 2 of the Constitution.

“Having been through the distress of such an unprecedented legal battle, the DeSouza’s were then further burdened with a substantial legal bill. 

“The Irish Government have promised to never again leave the people of the North behind, one way they could prove this would be to give practical support for this most important case. 

“Emma and Jake should not have had to fundraise and rely on the kindness of donors when their case was of such fundamental importance to the Good Friday Agreement and our rights as Irish citizens. 

“I will engage with the other groupings in the Seanad, who have in the past all expressed support for this campaign, with a view to writing to the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs asking for an intervention that would see this weight lifted from the DeSouza’s.

“They deserve nothing less.”