Scenes of racism at asylum seeker protests in recent weeks are ‘not acceptable and not the Irish way’, the Taoiseach has warned.
Speaking outside Leinster House this afternoon, Leo Varadkar said he is “very concerned about the rise of the far right and the rise of racism in Ireland”.
He was speaking after he told Newstalk that an assault on a migrant camp in Dublin last weekend had the ‘the feel and look of a racist attack’.
Meanwhile, anti-refugee protests have continued in parts of Dublin with people heard chanting things like ‘burn them out’ and ‘get them out’.
'It's not the Irish way of doing things..we should know better.' Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the rise of the far right and racism in Ireland. pic.twitter.com/SB8TgJTbsi
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) February 2, 2023
“Refugees are welcome here and it is important that we have a robust system in place to make sure that we welcome those who are genuinely fleeing war and oppression and return those who are not,” said Mr Varadkar.
“I want people to be assured that that is what we will do, but the scenes we have seen in recent days and recent weeks really are not acceptable and it is not the Irish way.
“Irish people understand migration. All of our families have been shaken by it. We’ve been welcomed all around the world and in some countries, we’ve been mistreated.
“As a country, we should know better and the scenes we have seen in recent days and recent weeks really must be condemned.
“It is not the Irish way of doing things. It is not in accordance with our history and our culture and certainly, where there has been any violence or any breaches of law, the Gardaí are on top of that.”
Protest
The Taoiseach said he particularly wants to make sure that “protests don’t occur outside people’s homes”.
“There are places people can protest but it shouldn’t be outside the residence of vulnerable people – particularly when there are children in there as well,” he said.
Last week saw a rising number of newly arrived asylum seekers forced to sleep on the streets after the Citywest Reception Centre closed to new arrivals.
Recent polls have shown that nearly half the population is not happy with the Government's handling of the crisis – amid growing concern the situation is fuelling the rise of far-right violence and misinformation.
