When the Irish boycotted Jews in 1904, they also claimed it wasn't antisemitic

This headline prompted me to look up about any other time that Irish people "defied Israel."

This is the best contemporaneous article I can find about the boycott of Jews in Limerick, Ireland, in 1904.

See? They don't hate Jews because of their religion, but because they are simply all collectively guilty!

The Catholic priest's words were not quite so clear-cut, though.

Antisemites always claim that their actions come from the highest moral obligations, that they don't have any hate in their hearts but are only doing what is necessary and right to protect innocent people. 

Ireland's support for boycotting Israel today is coming from the exact same place that Father Creagh claimed to have come from 117 year ago.

And today's boycotters reject any suggestion of their own bigotry as their Irish predecessors did in 1904.

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