Hotel in Dublin cancels booking for 70 rooms intended for conference against antisemitism

The Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin canceled a booking for 70 rooms after learning it was for participants of an EU conference on combating antisemitism. The chair of the Representative Council of Irish Jews said the hotel inquired whether the conference was linked to the IDF, even though it is a civilian and diplomatic event.

The Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, canceled a booking for 70 rooms after learning that the reservation was for a group of representatives from 27 European Union countries participating this week in a conference on antisemitism. The chair of the Representative Council of Irish Jews, Maurice Cohen, stated during the conference's reception that the hotel initially approved the booking but withdrew after staff learned the rooms were for event participants. It was also claimed that the hotel management inquired whether the conference was linked to the IDF, even though it is a civilian and diplomatic meeting with no military involvement. The hotel management has not yet responded to the report. The representatives arrived in Ireland for the 15th meeting of the Special Envoys and Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) network, supported by the World Jewish Congress and the European Commission. The conference takes place during Ireland's presidency of the European Union. The incident occurs against a backdrop of growing concerns among the Jewish community in Ireland about antisemitism and hostility toward Israel, including reports of violence and harassment against Jews in public spaces.