An initiative aimed at breaking myths around immigration in Ireland has been launched by South Dublin County Council. The “fact and fiction” campaign began in April this year to challenge at community level the misinformation about asylum seekers that spreads online.
Volunteers working with South Dublin County Council said people in their area are now better informed and aware about fake narratives spreading online, which eventually give rise to the anti-immigrant sentiment.
A leaflet clarifying seven myths including social welfare supports, vetting and local amenities for asylum seekers was distributed to 55,000 households in Tallaght, Clondalkin and Lucan under the Community Integration Forum strategy in April. Volunteers say many people were misinformed on the weekly allowance received by asylum seekers and there was an information vacuum around the issue.
Tricia Nolan, manager of South Dublin County Volunteer Centre, says some people in their own social networks “thought that asylum seekers get €250 per week. We told them that they only get €38″.
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“People are sitting there, and no one is countering the narrative of misinformation around asylum seekers and refugees. The misinformation online wasn’t being challenged from top down, so we decided we want to do it in our community.”
The fact and fiction leaflet points out that every asylum seeker claiming International Protection is interviewed and vetted. It says that asylum seekers are not entitled to social welfare support, as many people might think. They are means-tested and, if not able to live independently, they receive an allowance of €38 weekly. The leaflet also quotes Department of Justice data showing nearly 600 asylum seekers were refused refugee status in January 2024.
Further, it mentions that communities that host migrants benefit by receiving support from the Community Recognition Fund, which approved €50 million in funding for 900 projects last year. In 2023, 65 per cent of volunteers who engaged in activities such as local clean-ups and event-organising in south Dublin were non-Irish people contributing positively to local communities, the leaflet further notes.
“We cannot fight anti-immigration sentiment online. This fact and fiction campaign is to address what we are seeing on social media. This is what our friends and family are seeing. We didn’t want to get into a debate on social media,” Ms Nolan said.
“Fake narrative was spread online around new arrivals and threats they pose. It had become a day-to-day conversation. It was important to change the fictitious scenario around immigration,” said South Dublin County Partnership chief executive Simon Monds.
“People in our areas are now informed about the truth and we now have 80 community groups with thousands of people signed up in south Dublin.”
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