Sir, - I wish to protest at the description by RTE and various trade unions of the current dispute at the Eastern Health Board Refugee Centre. For several days these organisations have consistently told the public that the dispute is due to concerns for safety because of the large number of refugees seeking asylum.
What utter rubbish! Indeed, such an explanation is subtle incitement to further discrimination. The crisis is not due to the large number of refugees seeking asylum (a mere handful compared with other European countries). Rather it is due to our Government's consistent refusal over the past two years to manage refugee applications properly and respectfully.
Furthermore, unlike Liz O'Donnell, I have no concern about protecting the sensitivities of John O'Donoghue. Instead I want to say to him and the rest of the Government: your policies are indeed a shambles. As an ordinary Irish citizen and one of the people you purport to represent, I am ashamed to witness them in action. - Yours, etc.,
Karen Walsh, Hillview, Cross Douglas Road, Cork.