Recent events at the Ross Lake House hotel near Oughterard in Co Galway give further cause for concern at a time when the State continues to face a crisis in sourcing accommodation for asylum seekers.
Last week local protesters against the imminent arrival at the vacant hotel of 70 international protection applicants blockaded entrances and prevented access. Matters escalated seriously on Saturday night when a fire, which the Garda believe was malicious, caused extensive damage to the premises. Rather than being an isolated incident, this was the latest in a sequence of arson attacks at facilities around the country intended for use as accommodation for protection applicants or Ukrainian war refugees.
Since February 2022, almost 100,000 people have arrived in Ireland in search of refuge, stretching the State’s resources to their limit. It is hardly a surprise that tensions have arisen at some locations, or that malevolent actors from the racist right have sought to exploit them.
Legitimate criticisms can be levelled at the Government’s failure to put in place a better long-term plan to manage the influx of those seeking shelter. Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman seems too often to be firefighting the problem without adequate support from his Cabinet colleagues.
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But in recent months a narrative has emerged among some elected representatives, chiefly Independents, that Ireland’s adherence to longstanding international treaties should be questioned or even abandoned. That argument seeped further into the political mainstream during the current controversy over Ross Lake House, with one Fianna Fáil councillor saying the fire had occurred because of fear for the safety and wellbeing of local families due to “senseless” Government policies. Another councillor from the same party said Ireland should stop accepting people seeking asylum “because the inn is full”.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has condemned the comments from his two party colleagues, and the councillors have been referred to Fianna Fáil’s internal rules and procedures committee.
This is welcome, but parties of both Government and Opposition would do well to reflect on whether they are communicating effectively enough with their own members and the broader community about the challenges and complexities of the international protection system.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar did that at the weekend, assuring people that Ireland’s asylum system was robust and that talk of “open borders” was nonsensical, while reminding them of the importance of human empathy towards those less fortunate. It is a message with particular resonance at this time of year, but one he and his colleagues will need to return to in the coming months.