Eric Hafner believes the situation in Hawaii "is very similar to that of Ireland"

A HAWAIIAN politician standing for the United States Congress is drawing on the "ideals" of 1916 Rising leader James Connolly in his campaign.

Republican candidate Eric Hafner has described how his links to Ireland and learning about Connolly were pivotal reasons for getting into politics.

He has also spoke about sending IRA Volunteer Pol Brennan money and letters when he was being deported from the US.

The 25-year-old is one of four challengers trying to unseat US Congressional representative Tulsi Gabbard.

Mr Hafner said he has drawn on his Irish links throughout his political career and finds the "ideals of Connolly to be quite appealing".

Likening events in Ireland with those in Hawaii, Mr Hafner says that for his country "to be viable, we must implement the economic ideas of Connolly by giving the Hawaiian people ownership over their economy" rather than the US.

"Being of heavily Irish decent, I first started learning about Irish republicanism around age 14/15 and found the ideals of Connolly to be quite appealing," he said.

"At age 16, when IRA Volunteer Pol Brennan was being deported from the US, I sent him money and a letters while he was in detention.

"However, I found most Irish-American groups to be too socially conservative and frankly elderly to be relevant.

"But I learned that republican socialism in Ireland offers a progressive, socially liberal, non-sectarian, left-wing path to national liberation and that labour doesn't need to wait.

"As far as the ideology of Connolly, he was right when he said that Ireland could not be free if the Irish people did not become economically free.

"In my life in America, I have seen have the evil capitalist system has been used to oppress people.

"In order for Ireland to be free, James Connolly knew that as Irish people, we must own our own country, from the plough to the stars.

"He knew that even if Ireland became 'independent', if all the business and resources are still controlled by British imperialists, it is simply a change in name only."

The ordained minister said he is a "descendant of poor exiled Irish who were forced out of their homes in Ireland by the English".

"As an Irish person, I see similarities in the plight of the Lenape, Hawaiian, and Irish people. We are all victims of colonialism and imperialism," he said.

Mr Hafner said he also believed the situation in Hawaii "is very similar to that of Ireland".

"We frequently have helicopters flying over our homes looking to enforce the US drug war against cannabis plants," he said.

"It looks a lot like the British Army choppers infamous in the north."

Mr Hafner has also been trying to educate people in Hawaii with the issues faced by those in Northern Ireland.

"I also did a film showing of the movie 'Belfast Girls' which dealt with challenges facing working class communities in Belfast, from both sides of the peaceline," he said.

"Unlike many other Irish in America, I saw that working-class people from Protestant backgrounds can be our allies for a united, socialist worker's Republic if we open the door for them."