Full Breakdown
Dublin Hotel Cancels Rooms for Antisemitism Conference Delegates
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
The Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin’s Ballsbridge district withdrew a block reservation for 70 rooms that had been secured for delegates attending the 15th meeting of the Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) Forum. According to Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, hotel staff cancelled the booking after learning the purpose of the visit and asking whether the gathering was linked to the Israel Defense Forces, despite the conference being a civilian diplomatic event. A hotel manager declined to comment, and the hotel’s corporate office was said to have been contacted for a response.
Background of the SECCA Forum
Organized by the World Jewish Congress in partnership with the European Commission, the meeting brought together special envoys from the EU’s 27 member states, representatives of major Jewish diaspora communities (the J7), technology-company executives, and civil-society groups to discuss how online platforms and emerging technologies fuel antisemitic hatred.
Reactions and Official Statements
Cohen said the incident underscored a broader climate of hostility, noting that the Irish Jewish community had recorded 143 antisemitic incidents between July 2025 and January 2026. He criticized a prior campaign to rename Dublin’s Herzog Park after former Israeli President Chaim Herzog. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, speaking for the J7 delegation, urged the Irish government to allocate dedicated security funding for Jewish institutions, enforce hate-crime legislation, and hold officials accountable for rhetoric that crosses into antisemitism.
Data & Statistics
- 70 hotel rooms cancelled for conference delegates.
- 143 antisemitic incidents reported in Ireland from July 2025 to January 2026 (Cohen).
- Delegates represented the J7 diaspora communities from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and Argentina.
Verbatim Quotes
- “How deeply ironic that this should happen to delegates attending a conference dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism,” — David Quinn
- “No Jew in Ireland should ever feel they must choose between being proudly Irish and proudly Jewish,” — Maurice Cohen