Ad hoc response to refugees is no longer tenable, it’s dangerous

THE issue of immigration and Ireland’s response to the increase in International Protection applicants is coming to the fore – just as predicted in these pages.

The State’s response to more than 70,000 Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s war has been poor to say the least.

Instead of a concerted and focused approach to meeting their needs, an ad-hoc and patchy response has been deployed that has proven woefully inadequate to providing refugees with services, particularly housing.

The current unrest in certain quarters is directly related to the Government’s failure to grasp that nettle.

To be clear, this newspaper is full square behind the State meeting its international obligations and we acknowledge that ultimately the blame for this fiasco rests with Putin for invading a sovereign nation and unleashing havoc in the world.

However, a year on from the crisis is not too soon for citizens to expect the Government to have fine-tuned its response to the challenge and copperfastened a policy that wins public support while fulfilling our responsibility to house and support a displaced people.

The Government’s failure to proactively engage with communities has led to flashpoints and a volatile public mood that is being exploited for political gain by the extreme edges of the ideological spectrum which up to now Irish society has resisted.

The dogwhistle politics of the far right has been spread through disinformation on social media filling the vacuum created by the Government’s failure to engage with local activists and community leaders.

The current strategy of filling derelict and unused buildings with large groups of refugees has largely affected disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

When this newspaper raised the prospect of harnessing for the benefit of refugees, a tranche of empty and derelict properties in D4, including Jury’s Hotel (admittedly held in private hands) a Government spokesperson dismissed the suggestion outright.

This failure to engage in preemptive solutions before larger problems emerge means there can be little sympathy for the Government’s predicament.

Now we have the right-wing Freedom Party planning to field candidates in every constituency at the next election, although how they plan to finance their ambitions is unclear.

The Irish people are a welcoming race with a strong belief in family, community and meitheal.

We will not be found wanting when dealing with a geopolitical crisis of this scale. However, we need leadership from Government to galvanise our response and ensure optimum delivery of our resources.

Perhaps a specific minister for refugees could help defuse tensions in communities by communicating effectively with locals and rolling out accommodation centres in an evenhanded fashion, while ensuring that areas with poor GP access, overcrowded classrooms or anti-social activity do not see problems deteriorate under the weight of newcomer demands.

It’s imperative that sinister right-wing elements don’t gain a foothold in communities who already feel shortchanged by society. To that end it’s crucial their frustrations are heard and engaged with rather than discounted as the delusions of right-wing conspiracy theorists.

With appropriate resources and a listening ear, there is every chance that community response can be steered in a positive direction where mutual support and understanding rather than the reverse is fostered between locals and refugees.