We’ll need shelter from the storm, too, if angry brigade wins
Fair play to the person who painted “seeking asylum is not a crime” on the roof of their Dublin tent, resulting in the GB News drone camera broadcasting shots of it to their viewers on Monday. Sometimes we need to be reminded it isn’t an offence.
And yet we treat people somewhere between cattle and criminals.
On Thursday, the Government tidied “tent city” out of sight to another less visible one with toilets. Three days prior, a sizeable enough crowd descended on Dublin city centre roaring “Get them out!”. When did a large section of Irish society lose their humanity? When did our traditional meitheal, of which we are so proud, morph to views that malign people based on their birthplace?
Immigration wasn’t the only thing the marchers were angry at. Here’s a flavour from the local election candidate for Ballymun Finglas, Gavin Pepper: “They don’t give a toss in this country about you. Sinn Féin sold us down the river. They’re traitors, that’s all they are.” (Crowd roars and claps.) “This new independent party jumping on the bandwagon announcing Ireland is not full.” (Voice goes up a few decibels.) “Hashtag, Ireland is full!”
Pepper was also angry about Simon Harris, Holly Cairns, the Government and means-tested medical cards. The crowd lost the run of itself after a few more lines from the by-now-apoplectic Pepper and chanted in unison: “Send them home!”
“Who does Ireland belong to?” Pepper roared. “The Irish,” the crowd roared back. The sea of Tricolour wavers wouldn’t have been out of place in a dystopian novel.
Ireland’s resources are stretched, of that there is no doubt. We have welcomed 100,000 Ukrainians, and 30,000 asylum applicants — 7,600 since January alone. It is a challenge for every country. Here, we pack up the pop-up problem and replace fabric homes with steel barricades.
Still, we’re not as bad as Britain, which wants to ship to Rwanda those who arrive bedraggled on boats. British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda law is an attempt to claw back leaking votes to Keir Starmer, to whom he is certain to lose the next general election.
Sunak’s law has exposed an
Irish difficulty. In 2020, Britain agreed in principle to a memorandum of understanding that they would accept refugees back from Ireland. They have since reneged. In March, the High Court in Dublin ruled Ireland cannot designate Britain as a “safe third country” due to the threat of deportation to Rwanda. A porous Northern border simply allows people to proceed to Dublin. It’s a conundrum for some. In September 2022, Mary Lou McDonald told RTÉ: “You can’t limit numbers when people are seeking asylum and fleeing for their lives.” Sinn Féin’s current position — perhaps with an eye to some of the angry brigade marching on their votes — is they are against open borders. It’s causing some difficulty to explain. Take this exchange between Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire and Gavin Jennings on RTÉ Radio on Thursday:
GJ: Is SF in favour of an open border into this state? DO’L: SF is not in favour of open borders…
GJ: What about the open border on the island of Ireland?
DO’L: Well, I don’t think anyone suggests that we’re looking to do away with the Common Travel Area...
GJ: So, you are in favour of an open border on the island, yes?
DO’L: We’re in favour of the Common Travel Area continuing and I think that it would have been really damaging if we had had a hard Brexit, it would have had a huge impact…
GJ: OK. How would you stop people entering the State looking for asylum through that border?
DO’L: Well, I think…look. We have a border that is over 300 miles long, and I think there’s over 250 crossings. No matter what you do, you’re not going to be able to stop people travelling up and down. The key thing is what happens…
GJ: Would you try to?
DO’L: …when they arrive here. And I think the key thing is…
GJ: Would you try to, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire?
DO’L: Ah, I believe that eh, I think that, eh, in enforcing the Common Travel Area there are options…
GJ: Like what?
DO’L: I think that when people arrive on the island of Ireland that there are things that can be examined…
GJ: No, that’s not what I asked you. I’m asking you how would you prevent people coming from the …north of the country, into the south of the country, through that border looking for asylum...?
DO’L: I’m not suggesting that we would do that…
GJ: So, you would leave an open border, yes?
And on it went.
Sinn Féin may appear to be struggling with its message on this issue, but at least it has a mandate.
People such as Pepper and other self-styled patriots, so far, do not. He may well achieve one, whereupon he will swiftly learn that politics is about more than shouting and selfie smartphone recordings.
He might also learn that an enraged crowd shouting offensive slogans and blocking Dublin’s streets is more anti-social to most than a few lads seeking shelter under a fabric roof.