Sir, – On May 14th, Irish people and visitors showed their solidarity with refugees as part of a day of action on refugee rights organised by the Irish Refugee Council, Dublin Calais Refugee Solidarity Group and End Direct Provision Dublin. Far from saying “our own first”, many people were keen to see Ireland do more in the current humanitarian crisis.
Among them were people who themselves are homeless in Dublin. They stopped by to write their own messages of support and to talk about their sympathy for people who, like them, were struggling in life. Throughout the day people wrote messages of solidarity, and shared Tweets and Facebook posts clearly indicating their views and position in relation to this crisis, a crisis that many have now said is a crisis of Europe rather than of refugees. In a nutshell, Irish people had something to say – refugees are welcome.
The reality is that people in Ireland want to play a part; they want to be active participants in Ireland’s response to the greatest humanitarian crisis that we are facing. The EU-Turkey deal may have temporarily stopped the high numbers of people risking their lives on the Aegean Sea but that has not stopped the desperation and determination of people who need safety and a better life. One step towards protecting the rights and dignity of people would be to abolish the scandal that is direct provision. Ireland is once again creating a legacy of damage and abuse that will be following us into the future. Ireland should be a leader in the EU, something it has demonstrated by sending search-and-rescue support to the Mediterranean, but we can do more. We should be standing in opposition to deals that undermine and diminish the values upon which the European Union was founded on. Irish authorities should be more proactive, like Portugal, in communicating that people are welcome in Ireland. People should be encouraged to consider Ireland under the relocation scheme.
I will leave you with the words of one man who dropped by our table on Saturday, “Refugees are human like us. They are no different.” We must remind ourselves of this understanding when navigating the abundance of news reports and information that is at our disposal. When people become numbers and statistics, we run the risk of losing touch with our humanity. – Yours, etc,
SUE CONLAN,
Chief Executive Officer,
Irish Refugee Council,
37 Dame Street,
Dublin 2.