Labour TD Michael D Higgins has accused The Irish Times of having "once again reached the sewer level of journalism" in a column yesterday by Kevin Myers.
Mr Higgins said: "Many have been asking for some time what principle of balance requires such gratuitously insulting and hurtful language. Certainly the anodyne and dry editorial on 'Fighting Racism' [also published yesterday] could hardly be considered provocative."
He said Myers dismissed what he calls our having "piously modelled our response to immigration on British lines, loudly proclaiming the virtues of anti-racist programmes, as if society can actually be constructed around either virtue or programmes [as in, say, our amazingly successful anti-drugs programmes, ho ho ho]."
Mr Higgins said: "What precisely does he object to in our State and voluntary anti-racist programmes? Or what is he suggesting being put in the place of such programmes?"