On November 4th, the Dáil sat for the first time since the anti-immigrant protests at CityWest in October, with the government defending its stance on the issue and opposition asking why the issue wasn’t tackled sooner.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin “have recently issued communications that have leaned into anti-migrant sentiment.”
In late October, Tánasite Simon Harris said that the number of immigrants to Ireland are “too high” and claimed that “the left” attempt to “shut down any discussion around the issue.”
Ireland has traditionally avoided the left-right political terminology that is so common in other nations, but Harris’ usage of that language has irked Bacik.
“He (Harris) implied that people facing deportation make up a significant proportion of Ireland’s inward migration. Of course, this is wrong. However, it was not a slip of the tongue. His Fine Gael colleagues have since repeated it, and the Minister’s party leader, the Taoiseach, has backed him.”
Speaking in the Dáil, Bacik said, “Minister (Chambers), you are in government. Any flaws in the asylum system are your responsibility.”
The Dublin Bay South TD said, “your party colleague holds the justice and migration brief. Any blame for the failure to provide fair and effective procedures lies not at the feet of people seeking asylum but with your government and previous governments.”
“Will you undertake a safety audit of accommodation? Will you now advance a public information campaign on the benefits to this country of inward migration and the facts about immigration?”
The Labour TD said, “we need a reflection on and a review of the language used and policies implemented by the government. The conflation of immigration with criminality in rhetoric can contribute to an environment where violence can develop. So too can irresponsible rhetoric that blames the housing crisis or the lack of public services on immigrants.”
Furthermore, Bacik called government cuts to Ukrainian refugee supports “mean-spirited.”
Jack Chambers, filling in for Micheál Martin at Leaders’ Questions, asserted that Bacik was “conflating” the cuts to Ukrainian refugee supports with the wider debate surrounding immigration.
Chambers said “the government needs to examine incentives, disincentives and push and pull factors in the context of migration policy in Europe and internationally.”
“Every policy should be evaluated and recalibrated to manage the various factors that contribute to the overall level of migration to an economy, while also acknowledging the huge contribution people continue to make to our economy and communities. It is just unfair to take a particular sentence and try to conflate what has happened, in a shocking manner, in certain instances.”
The Dublin West TD said, “everyone in this government and in this parliament should be able to have an overall assessment of migration policy. That is what I am saying. We need an honest debate about that continuously because there are various factors which contribute to a surge in applications, and we need to be able to evaluate that.”
In an RTÉ radio panel with Social Democrats TD and justice spokesperson Gary Gannon, Dún Laoghaire TD Barry Ward defended Harris’ comments, saying they were “absolutely factually correct”.
The Fine Gael TD defended his party leader, saying that “he (Harris) has identified the fact that we do have massive pressure on our migration system, there’s no disputing that.”
“What we also have is a huge investment in that system, and we have massively reduced the waiting times for the processing of applications, which makes it easier to deal with people coming here seeking a chance.”
Ward said, “the Department is not nearly frank enough with people in local communities about what’s happening. We need to speed up the times, we need to be more effective in terms of when deportation orders have been made, that people are not remaining here for months and months and months, that those orders are given effect.”
The Southside TD told RTÉ that if the “debate” around immigration is to be had, ministers and TDs should be able to express their views.
Dublin South Central TD Jen Cummins said, “there is fear, dread, violence and intimidation based on people’s skin colour or where they are perceived to be from. IPAS centres, which are people’s homes, are being attacked and burned down”
“Tricolours are being hung all around my constituency, not because it is St. Patrick’s Day but to say foreigners are not welcome here.”
The Social Democrats TD said, “I beg to differ and so do many people in my constituency, including Dublin 8 for All, Inchicore for All and lots of people who are doing great work to counteract the hate, fear and dread that has been driven into people who are at their wits’ end. The lack of urgency the government has shown in addressing the rise of hatred and violence is unacceptable and dangerous; and there is a risk to life.”
Cummins said, “the government needs to listen to us, look at what is going on and act.”
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan “it is extremely important that in this House we do not allow that extreme behaviour or the criminal acts of others to dictate our policy when it comes to international protection.”
The Dublin Bay South TD said, “it is important not only that we condemn those acts but also that we do not permit the individuals who were behind perpetrating them to have any belief that their actions will mould or change our behaviour.”
Junior Minister Colm Brophy, who has responsibility for immigration affairs, told the Dáil “the incidents in Drogheda and Citywest show the extent to which this (anti-immigrant rhetoric) are impacting communities.”
“We have seen anti-immigrant protests on our streets. We have seen attacks on international protection accommodation. We have seen attacks on international protection accommodation where people knew that women and children were staying.”
The Dublin South-West TD said “we have seen the dire consequences of the anti-migrant rhetoric in and the shocking racist attacks on our minority communities. The government is determined to combat such racist crime and protect vulnerable communities.”
Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin, who represents Dublin Mid-West spoke about the effect the riots had on his community.
“The government took the decision to purchase the convention centre and hotel in Citywest, it said there was going to be a new template for State-owned provision of accommodation for people coming to Ireland to seek international protection. It gives me no pleasure to say it, but the events of the past two weeks show that template is in tatters.”
“The community of Saggart and the surrounding areas of Citywest and Rathcoole are strong, vibrant, diverse communities. People are generous and welcoming and have been going above and beyond to do the right thing during recent times.”
Ó Broin noted, “it is also important to acknowledge that inside Citywest itself, there are men seeking international protection and Ukrainian families with children receiving temporary protection. In an adjoining building, homeless families are accommodated by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive.”
“When any of us elected representatives for the constituency talk to people in those communities, they tell us that even before the horrendous events of recent weeks, they felt ignored and let down.”
O’Broin’s Dublin Mid-West colleague, independent TD Paul Gogarty, said “without proper, respectful discourse, a vacuum is created and that vacuum is taken over by radical groups that foment hatred and spew disinformation.”
“That leads to there being open season to verbally abuse and possibly physically abuse anyone on a bus with darker skin. We have seen that happening all around the country and I have seen it in my constituency.”
“It is absolutely reprehensible; there are groups using identity politics to stir up, antagonise and cast aspersions on people who raise genuine concerns.”
The independent TD “we need a citizens’ convention on the issue of asylum policy and immigration to facilitate a fact-based, respectful discussion that takes into account our international obligations to support those fleeing persecution and also looks at the common good in Ireland and our capacity to provide support for people.”
“That would be a fair discussion. We can discuss immigration and asylum but not other people because of their background or the colour of their skin. Let us please have that wider debate.”
Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan said, “arguments should always be considered on their merits and on the strength of evidence in support of them. Ideological dogma should never take precedence over constructive debate.”
“As a former Lord Mayor of Dublin, I am incredibly proud that one in five people living in Dublin city is not originally from Ireland. That adds to the vibrancy of our city and makes it international,” the Dublin Bay South TD said.