A group of anti-racism protesters gathered at Dublin Airport yesterday with the message that it seemed there was no room at the inn in the Republic for asylum-seekers.
The group held placards and handed out leaflets to emigrants arriving home for Christmas. A spokesman for the Anti-Racism Campaign, Mr Pat Guerin, said they wanted to highlight the contrast between those thousands of emigrants and the policy of mass deportation of asylum-seekers.
He said the protest was to draw attention to the "outrageously hypocritical policy" of the Government. "Our cosy self-image of being a warm, welcoming nation has faced its first real litmus test with the arrival of asylum- seekers in Ireland. Sadly, we have been found wanting. It seems that Ireland is fast becoming the nation of emigrants that rejects immigrants. With regard to asylum-seekers, it seems that there is no room at the inn," Mr Guerin said.