Hermann Kelly
Kelly in 2019
President of the Irish Freedom Party
Assumed office
8 September 2018
Director of Communications for Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy
In office
August 2009 – 2019
Personal details
Born (1968-12-25) 25 December 1968
Bogside, Derry, Northern Ireland
Political partyIrish Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		UK Independence Party (UKIP)[1]
EducationSt Columb's College
Alma materSt Patrick's College, Maynooth
OccupationPress officer

Hermann Patrick Kelly (born 1968) is an Irish anti-immigration politician, press officer and former journalist, serving as president of the far-right[2] Irish Freedom Party[3] since its foundation in September 2018.[4] As of late 2021, Kelly is employed in the European Parliament as an assistant to Romanian MEP Cristian Terheș.[5][6]

Early life and education

Kelly was born on Christmas Day, 1968[7] and is originally from the Bogside in Derry.[8] His father was a headmaster of a primary school in Creggan, his mother was a nurse and he has three siblings.[8]

His secondary education was at St Columb's College, Derry. He then studied marine biology in Edinburgh before studying theology as a lay student at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.[8] He briefly worked as a teacher in Dublin.[8]

Writer

Journalism

As a journalist, Kelly was a contributing columnist to the Irish Examiner,[8] and also wrote for the Irish Mail on Sunday.[9] Following the resignation of editor Simon Rowe in mid-2004, Kelly was briefly acting editor (and later deputy editor) of The Irish Catholic.[10]

Kathy O'Beirne book

In 2007, Kelly wrote a book titled Kathy's Real Story which disputed the claims made in a book by Kathy O'Beirne (Don't Ever Tell), in which O'Beirne described childhood abuse she had reputedly suffered in a Magdalene asylum.[11] Kelly claimed that initial doubts that he had while reading her book were confirmed by inconsistencies in different accounts which O'Beirne had given, and later confirmed by various witnesses and documentary evidence.[11][12] He also claimed that false allegations were being made by those appearing before the Residential Institutions Redress Board in order to receive compensation.[11]

A review by Gene Kerrigan (who worked alongside Michael Sheridan, O'Beirne's co-author) criticised Kelly's own criticism of O'Beirne's book.[13] Kelly and O'Beirne both appeared on Ireland AM to discuss their books in November 2007, and the encounter ended in an argument.[9]

Kelly also wrote to the proposed publishers of a sequel by O'Beirne, sending them a copy of Kathy's Real Story and asking them not to publish. A Sunday Times article of July 2009 indicated that the publisher had withdrawn their initial offer to publish her book because of an "unresolved legal issue".[14]

European Union politics

Kelly was formerly a press officer for Nigel Farage, and the director of communications for Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD), of which Farage was co-president.[15][16] The EFDD dissolved in mid-2019.[17]

Kelly, who is from Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, supports Ireland leaving the European Union (an 'Irexit'), and is the President of the far-right Irish Freedom Party, a party that advocates the same position.[8][18] He contested the 2019 European Parliament election in the Dublin constituency,[19] receiving 2,441 (0.67%) first preference votes and was eliminated on the fourth count.[20]

As of 2021 Kelly was serving as press officer to Romanian MEP Cristian Terheș of the European Conservatives and Reformists group,[5] who has consistently declined to show an EU Digital COVID Certificate or proof of COVID-19 testing upon entering the European Parliament.[21]

Political views

Kelly advocates for Ireland to leave the European Union and for a united Ireland.[1] In a 2019 interview, he said: "It's not just about leaving the EU, it's about more basic things. It's about freedom of speech, something that's under attack in Ireland, it’s about encouraging work, encouraging families and encouraging people to have children".[22] Kelly is fiscally conservative,[23] and has questioned the financial cost of Ireland's EU contributions.[24]

His party, the Irish Freedom Party, is anti-abortion, pro-natalist and "supportive of stable families for procreation".[25] Kelly has described his views as representing "Irish Catholic nationalism".[26]

He described State redress for victims of institutional abuse as "a State-sponsored ATM machine".[27]

Some outlets have linked Kelly with alt-right ideologies, pointing to a YouTube interview in which Kelly appeared alongside far-right British Loyalist and former British National Party member Jim Dowson.[28] In the video Kelly stated that "[they want to] kill Irish kids and [..] replace them with every nationality who wants to come into our country",[29] a statement which several news outlets associated with the white nationalist "great replacement" conspiracy theory.[28][30] This followed a similar interview, in January 2019 with LifeSiteNews, in which Kelly denounced what he called the "great replacement of our children".[31] In a 2019 Twitter post, Kelly stated that "those talking about a Great Replacement in Ireland have a point".[32] Later in 2019, Kelly stated that, before an Irish government could make policy changes which result in "population increases [..] immigration or otherwise, it must first consult the people of Ireland".[33] He used the phrase "abort and import" to describe Sinn Féin immigration policy.[34] In interviews and Twitter posts, Kelly has stated that he does not support the idea of separate races or racial superiority,[23][35] while also advocating for a "mono cultural society".[36][37]

Kelly has spoken in favour of free speech,[38] and during 2020 he called for an end to the controls in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.[39]

Kelly has tweeted about his belief in the existence of a "Trans ideology", which he described as "dangerous nonsense [...] which must be resisted".[40]

References

  1. 1 2 "PR man for Ukip Hermann Kelly in favour of a united Ireland". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph. 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ↑ Feeney, Peter (13 October 2021). "445/2020 – Mr Hermann Kelly and TheJournal.ie". presscouncil.ie. Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. The use of the epithet "far-right" [..] seems acceptable given the range of policies promoted by the party and by the causes party members have been associated with
  3. ↑ "A party is being launched today that's calling for Ireland to leave the EU". thejournal.ie. 8 September 2018. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Members – Hermann Kelly – Uachtarán (President)". irishfreedom.ie. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 "How a Covid cert revolt in Brussels reveals a dark trend in pandemic politics". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "European Parliament website page for Romanian MEP Cristian Terhes, listing staff". European Parliament. European Parliament. 21 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Áine Duffy meets Hermann Kelly, Irish Freedom Party. Former journalist, Director of Communications, retrieved 10 July 2022
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McDowell, Lindy (8 October 2018). "Hermann Kelly: I believe Ireland, both North and South, is better off outside the European Union". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Derry author in live TV dust-up". Derry Journal. 9 November 2007. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  10. ↑ "Ireland's leading religious weekly appoints editor". Press Gazette. 26 November 2004. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 "Feud between warring authors to hot up". The Irish Post. 20 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011.
  12. ↑ West, Ed (5 March 2008). "Mis lit: Is this the end for the misery memoir?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  13. ↑ Kerrigan, Gene (11 November 2007). "Both sides in the bad books after bust-up". Independent.ie. Independent News and Media. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  14. ↑ "Times Online". Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Hermann Kelly Interview". channel4.com. Channel 4. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020. I have worked as a teacher, then became a journalist, and then became Press Officer for Nigel Farage
  16. ↑ "The Group – Staff". EDFgroup.eu. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010.
  17. ↑ de la Baume, Maïa (26 June 2019). "Brexit Party misses first deadline to form political group in European Parliament". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2019. Several Parliament officials said that Farage's former "Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy" group had not been added to the official list. "Farage and 5Star doesn't have a group," said one official, referring to Italy's 5Star movement which was also part of the EFDD.
  18. ↑ Ní Aodha, Gráinne (8 September 2018). "A party is being launched today that's calling for Ireland to leave the EU". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "Home". dublincountyreturningofficer.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "European Election: 24 May 2019, Dublin, European Parliament". electionsireland.org. Elections Ireland. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  21. ↑ "Irexit leader wages war on Covid-19 certs in role paid by EU". IrishTimes.com. The Irish Times. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "The Burkean". Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  23. 1 2 "Hermann Kelly: I believe Ireland, both North and South, is better off outside the European Union". Belfast Telegraph. 8 October 2018. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "Letter to the editor – EU and potential debt liability". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  25. ↑ Tobin, Sharon (8 September 2018). "'Irexit' group seeking to register as political party". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  26. ↑ "Is Ireland ready for a dose of Farage-style politics?". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020. [Kelly] says his views reflect "Irish Catholic nationalism"
  27. ↑ Letters (30 August 2008). "Columnist's line on false claims insults victims of institutional abuse". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  28. 1 2 "Ireland's Alt Right: The people building an empire online". The Business Post. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  29. ↑ "YouTube source". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  30. ↑ "How the far-right is exploiting immigration concerns in Oughterard". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2019. "The first thing they want to do is kill Irish kids and [they] want to replace them with every nationality who wants to come into our country," Irish Freedom Party leader Hermann Kelly [..said..] in an interview this year
  31. ↑ "Abortion is 'stain' that 'should be removed' – Hermann Kelly". irexitfreedom.ie. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019. Party media release referring earlier interview in which Kelly states "we must control the quality and number of economic migrants [..] we don't want the brutal demise or 'great replacement' of our children"
  32. ↑ @hermannkelly (2 September 2019). "What a cheek! Not a word about incentivising talented and skilled Irish diaspora to come home. According to this, looks as if those talking about a Great Replacement in Ireland have a point. Who is doing the discrimination now?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ "Elections, Europe, and Irish Freedom: A Talk With Hermann Kelly". The Burkean. 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  34. ↑ Youtube IFP Channel, see speech at 1min 45 sec (8 December 2018). "Hermann Kelly speaks at Irexit Protest against UN Migration Pact". YOutube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ @hermannkelly (29 July 2020). "No I had a recorded discussion with Jim Dowson after he made a video [...]" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ↑ @hermannkelly (15 June 2020). "A mono cultural society is high trust, low friction. A multicultural "society" is a recipe for endless agro and trouble" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ↑ "The far right rises: Its growth as a political force in Ireland". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 19 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020. Hermann Kelly has advocated for a "monocultural" Irish society and been a proponent of the "great replacement", a conspiracy theory stating western governments are intentionally replacing their native populations with immigrants
  38. ↑ "Elections, Europe, and Irish Freedom: A Talk With Hermann Kelly". The Burkean. 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020. Kelly went on at length about the dangers posed to freedom of speech and freedom of thought
  39. ↑ Kelly, Hermann (2 June 2020). "Irish lives matter too. Leo's support of Dublin march damns the lockdown". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020. the whole thing will peter out quite naturally and [..] I believe its time to end the lockdown
  40. ↑ @hermannkelly (4 October 2022). "Trustee of the transgender charity Mermaids quits after speech to paedophile aid group. / Trans ideology is a dangerous nonsense for your kids which must be resisted. We stand for biology not ideology" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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