Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said he has "no problem with people who come to Ireland through the visa and asylum systems" after he was criticised for making "vile and odious" comments on immigration in a video circulating on social media.
Mr Ahern is recorded in the video as saying, in a conversation, that "the ones I worry about are the Africans", that he has concerns about the level of immigration, and that Ireland "can't be taking in people" coming from "the Congo", as well as the next generation of Muslims in Ireland.
He does go on to say that Ireland should be accepting of people coming from Ukraine, however, following the war there.
It was filmed while Mr Ahern joined Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Central bye-election candidate John Stephens while canvassing in the constituency.
Watch: 'We can't be taking in people from the Congo and all these places', says Bertie Ahern
Mr Ahern told RTÉ News that the video was recorded without his knowledge and added it was recorded "around nine or ten days ago".
He also said the footage circulating online was part of a longer conversation.
"I support Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan's policies on immigration, let there be no doubt about," Mr Ahern said.
"I have said in the past the asylum process should be quicker, but I do acknowledge it has speeded up a bit in recent times," he added.
"I have no problem with people who come here through the visa and asylum systems," he said and added that many African people who had gone through the system successfully live and work in his local area.
Watch: Ahern comments 'not appropriate', says Taoiseach
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that views on immigration expressed by Mr Ahern do not represent the views of Fianna Fáil or their candidate in Dublin Central.
Mr Martin said that Mr Ahern's comments in the video were "not appropriate".
"I think it's not appropriate, in my view, to be specific about any given ethnicity. And that's not, in my view, correct or proper," he said.
He added: "We have to respect people with many different ethnicities in Ireland, many Irish citizens with different ethnic backgrounds, and that has to be respected."
The Taoiseach also said that Ireland has a "fair and robust" asylum system, pointing to reforms brought in by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan towards an "efficient and accelerated process".
He said asylum cases and appeals are now dealt with in a timely manner, adding that "quite a number" of applications do not achieve asylum status.
"I think one of the big problems in the past was that the process went on for years, and it went on too long. And I think we now have that.
"We have a broader migration story where people work, come into work in our health service through work permits or through the European Union, and are very, very valuable part of our economic life and of our healthcare system, and indeed our caring system as well," he added.
Ahern comments were 'vile and odious'
Some of the candidates in the Dublin Central bye-election have been reacting to the comments made by Mr Ahern.
Social Democrats candidate Daniel Ennis welcomed the Taoiseach's comments distancing the party from Mr Ahern's remarks, however he called on the party to "clarify if Mr Ahern is going to continue canvassing for their bye-election candidate, John Stephens."
People Before Profit's Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin condemned what he called Mr Ahern's "vile and odious comments".
The Green Party's Janet Horner said the comments are "not only harmful, but hurtful to the people who live in the constituency he once represented. They are untrue and ill-informed".
Labour's candidate Ruth O'Dea said his comments in the video are "yet another shameful example during this bye-election campaign of punching down on migrants".
Independent candidate Malachy Steenson said he is fully in agreement with comments made by Mr Ahern and "that it was about time the political class woke up to the problem of illegal immigration".
Earlier this month, Independent candidate Gerard Hutch said illegal immigrants who were "mooching" their way into the country should be interned at the Curragh Camp in Kildare.
RTÉ's Political Correspondent Barry Lenihan reports on the controversy from Leinster House
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Taoiseach tells Dáil he does not approve of commentary that would undermine any ethnicity
The Taoiseach told the Dáil that he does not approve of any commentary that would undermine any particular ethnicity or person from a particular ethnic background.
He was responding to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who had raised remarks from the video circulating on social media.
"My understanding is Mr Ahern has resiled from those comments and says he has no issue with people who come through our asylum process," said Mr Martin.
"I want to be very clear from my perspective and my party's perspective, that we do not approve of those specific comments," he added.
Mr Murphy said Mr Ahern had engaged in "disgusting racism", and that the comments "made it blatant what the agenda is - scapegoat immigrants and so nobody blames Fianna Fáil and the landlords and developers you have allowed profit from the housing crisis".
You can find a full list of the candidates in the Dublin Central bye-election here
