A group of 47 Palestinians have been preparing to come to Ireland for a GAA tour later this month.
The group includes 33 children and over 150 families have volunteered to accommodate the visitors while in Ireland.
The tour is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 18.
However, yesterday evening the group was informed by the Irish Immigration Service that their visa applications have been turned down.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy called on the Justice Minister to act.
“It is an utter disgrace that this group of Palestinians have been refused visas to come to Ireland for their GAA tour,” Deputy Murphy said.
“They have been preparing for this visit for many months and it is not acceptable that they have been turned down at this late stage.
“The group has refuted claims by the immigration service that they had not provided required documentation”.
“The people travelling to Ireland are involved in GAA clubs in the West Bank and they are scheduled to play a number of friendly matches across Ireland and to tour Croke Park.
“It promises to be an experience of a lifetime for them”.
“Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan needs to sort this out immediately so the group can come to Ireland and be greeted by the many GAA clubs and communities who are waiting to host them”.