The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell has warned about the “rhetoric of polarisation” that is “rampant in our society at the moment”.
Speaking on RTE radio’s News at One, the archbishop also cautioned about “significant disinformation” being spread about the nature and scale of the impact by asylum seekers and migrants on Irish society.
Archbishop Farrell was speaking in the wake of a fire at the former Shipwright pub in Ringsend, Dublin, on New Year’s Eve. The blaze gutted the building, which was being readied for use by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DHRE) to house homeless families, including some from the local area.
Garda sources said a deliberate campaign of false claims about the intended use of the building to house asylum seekers had been orchestrated, and have subsequently launched an arson investigation.
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“The majority of people who come to our country, the migrants, they’re here lawfully. They’re here to work. They provide vital input into our public services and businesses,” said Archbishop Farrell.
He said there was a challenge for political leaders and church leaders to convey the truth about what was happening and to counter the disinformation which was “unalloyed racism” and “unvarnished xenophobia”.
People who embark on anti-migrant protests, in Dublin or elsewhere, needed to know that “when you go down those roads, those actions have consequences”, said the archbishop. “And those consequences are very serious in terms of the destruction of property and denying the people who are on the streets a home. Those people who are on the street today might have had a home if we didn’t have these fires. And what are we doing? We’re excluding them. We’re showing that Ireland is a cold place. It’s a harsh place, not the land of the thousand welcomes.”
Meanwhile, the south inner city arson attack might not have happened if there had been “clear communication” about its planned use, according to a local Fine Gael councillor.
Danny Byrne said there had been a lot of misinformation about “unvetted” asylum seekers moving to the disused Shipwright pub in Ringsend.
“A lot of fear was being stoked up,” he said.
“Certain individuals were travelling the country stoking up hate. We’re back to the core of the problem where this was not communicated from the beginning. I think the outcome would have been very different if it had been clearly communicated from the beginning that this building was to be used for homeless families - our biggest problem is homelessness.”
Speaking RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, he said when the vacant building had been sold people in the area were apprehensive “about what might happen there”.
Concerns were heightened when a health and safety notice was posted on the door containing “key words” about emergency accommodation. Local public representatives were not informed about any plans for the building, he added.
“I understand some media were informed that it was going to be used for homeless accommodation, but again, the public reps were not informed...”
It was the responsibility of organisations providing accommodation to inform the local community about plans. “There was a lot of misinformation and a lot of outside influence.”
[ Fire at Dublin building intended as homeless accommodation confirmed as arsonOpens in new window ]
He added he “absolutely condemned” the fire and the “real pity” now was that the building could not be used for anything.
Labour party leader Ivana Bacik, who represents the Ringsend area, said it was crucial that local representatives be given clear notification of any plans to provide emergency accommodation in an area.
In this instance, she said, local representatives had not been informed by the housing executive about plans to provide accommodation for homeless families in the premises. That was “most unfortunate” she said, as she commended Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman and his department on their “greatly improved” communications with local representatives.
On Monday, gardaí confirmed the fire was the work of arsonists.
The first results from a technical examination of the blaze, which gutted the building, determined it was an act of criminal damage.
A major criminal investigation into the blaze has begun at Irishtown Garda station, under a senior investigating officer. Garda sources told The Irish Times they were very hopeful the urban location of the latest fire at a property, incorrectly linked to housing asylum seekers, would aid the investigation.
“Some of these incidents have been in very rural areas but we’re now dealing with a location where there would be more people around and more CCTV covering the scene,” said one source. He added the investigating team was also hopeful people from the local community would come forward with confidential information.
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