Tánaiste Simon Coveney has described scenes at a rally held by US President Donald Trump as "chilling".
Mr Trump renewed his attacks targeting four US congresswomen at a campaign rally - prompting a crowd of supporters to chant 'send her back' about one of the women, Ilhan Omar.
The US president was speaking in North Carolina on Wednesday, amid the ongoing controversy over his attacks on progressive Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley.
They are all from black or minority ethnic backgrounds, and are often referred to as 'the Squad'.
All four are US citizens.
Ms Omar was born in Somalia before moving to the US as a child, after spending years in a refugee camp in Kenya.
The other three women were all born in the US.
On Sunday, President Trump tweeted claiming the congresswomen should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came".
He has repeated and escalated the attacks several times since, prompting widespread criticism - including the House of Representatives voting to condemn the US president for "racist comments".
Mr Coveney has condemned the scenes in North Carolina.
He said: "This is chilling.... targeting individuals, fueling hatred based on race is not acceptable in political discourse... history tells us where this leads!".
This is chilling.... targeting individuals, fueling hatred based on race is not acceptable in political discourse... history tells us where this leads! https://t.co/UDgoeomml1
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) July 18, 2019
Rally
During the rally, the US president doubled down on his comments - accusing the four Democrats of being "hate-filled extremists".
He accused Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of "outrageous attacks", before saying he'd only refer to her as 'Cortez' as he 'doesn't have time for three different names'.
He suggested Rashida Tlaib was "not somebody that loves our country".
He went on to repeat his false claims of Ilhan Omar supporting al-Qaeda, and accused her of having a "history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds".
The latter prompted a chorus of supporters chanting "send her back".
WATCH: A Crowd in North Carolina chants "Send her back!" as Trump spends 3 minutes criticizing Rep. @IlhanMN pic.twitter.com/BT9lM0HZmE
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) July 17, 2019
Ms Omar responded on Twitter with a quote from poet Maya Angelou:
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
-Maya Angelou https://t.co/46jcXSXF0B— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019
The incident also prompted an outpouring of support for Ms Omar from other prominent Democrats, including presidential candidates.
Bernie Sanders said: "The demagogue is doing what he knows best: Divide and conquer through hate. His attacks only make us stronger. #IStandWithIlhan".
Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, suggested President Trup was "desperate".
She argued: "Calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative.
"But he’s trying to divide us and distract from his own crimes, and from his deeply unpopular agenda of letting the wealthy and well-connected rip off the country. We must do more."
She also called for the beginning of impeachment proceedings against the US president.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives killed an effort by one Democrat to launch an impeachment resolution.
Texas representative Al Green had filed the articles of impeachment, but ultimately only 95 Democrats voted in support of the resolution.
While there have been mounting impeachment calls - including from several presidential hopefuls - such moves have been opposed by Democratic leaders such as Nancy Pelosi.
Main image: President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Williams Arena in Greenville, North Carolina. Picture by: Carolyn Kaster/AP/Press Association Images
Additional reporting: Jack Quann
