Sir, – As noted in these pages recently, there is a sizeable disconnect between Ireland’s commendable lifesaving work in the Mediterranean and its response to migration at home.
This lack of urgency is not making life any easier for the refugees and migrants who our teams at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) meet every day in Greece, Italy and Lebanon, places where Ireland has agreed to take people in from. MSF teams patrolling the seas close to the coast of Libya have rescued more than 37,000 people and recovered far too many dead bodies.
In our clinics on board our teams hear the horror stories of what our patients are fleeing. In Greece, where 50,000 refugees are trapped in transit since the EU-Turkey deal was signed, it’s the chronically ill, elderly, unaccompanied minors and pregnant women we’re most concerned for as winter approaches.
I worked in Jordan as part of MSF’s response to the Syria crisis, where an estimated 1.2 million refugees have settled. It was heartening to see how a society can welcome so many people in their time of dire need and help to restore some humanity for those coming from decidedly inhumane circumstances. Ireland should aim to maximise our response to the ongoing mass displacement of people and not just do the bare minimum. – Yours, etc,
SAM TAYLOR,
Director,
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) in Ireland,
Baggot Street, Dublin 4.
Sir, – We support Sr Stanislaus Kennedy's call for Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Government to take in some unaccompanied refugee children from the Jungle camp in Calais ("Taoiseach must lead way in welcoming refugees", October 25th).
We find it extraordinary that the coverage of this week’s forced removal of refugees from that camp has referred only to actions and statements by the French and British governments.
It is as if this tragic episode has absolutely nothing to do with us here in Ireland.
The refugee influx from the Middle East and elsewhere, the worst humanitarian crisis in Europe since the second World War, concerns every EU member country, including Ireland.
We would appeal to the Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, in her capacity as Minister for Justice, to offer to take 50, 100 or even 200 child refugees into this country out of the 544 unaccompanied minors known to be in the Calais camp.
There is, of course, no legal obligation to do this, but we hope she will agree with us that there is a moral obligation.
– Yours, etc,
Senator IVANA BACIK
CATRIONA CROWE
Senator PÁDRAIG
Mac LOCHLAINN
FRANK McDONALD
DOIREANN NÍ BHRIAIN
OLIVIA O’LEARY
MARY O’MALLEY
ANDY POLLAK
MICK RAFFERTY
EAMON RYAN TD
c/o Rathmines, Dublin 6.