The far right put out fake news and spread untruths to whip up hatred. Here we answer the lies they tell the people of East Wall.
THEY ARE ALL MEN. NO WOMEN AND CHILDREN
- Asylum and refugee centres are communal living spaces.
- Like all such places there are some arrangements and segregation put in place for the purpose of gender privacy, complying with child-friendly living arrangements and family life.
- Just because East Wall had 2 buses full of men does not mean the asylum seekers are male-only. These men are picked from other, better-equipped centres to make space for families, and women with children. Half of the asylum seekers, and refugees are women and children
- Some centres have mostly women/children, some mixed, families and single people.
THEY ARE NOT VETTED
Coming to Ireland is not simply jumping on a plane and arriving here.
- Every asylum seeker arriving in Ireland registers with the state at the port of arrival. They don’t have a choice.
- They also register with the office dealing with asylum applications, IPO International Protection Office, and the Gardai.
- They go through detailed vetting and interview processes.
- The state checks details of their past lives etc.
WHY ARE THEY COMING TO OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
- Asylum seekers are not randomly sent to places. Where they go depends on available facilities due to the pressures of housing the Ukrainian refugees.
- The reason they are settled in places such as the building in East Wall is that they are not given proper homes. They are NOT taking homes from Irish people.
- These places are temporary/emergency centres until direct provision centres are established.
CRIME, OUR COMMUNITY IS WORRIED
- There is no evidence of crimes increasing due to asylum seekers or refugees
- These centres are access-controlled, and people cannot come in and out as they wish.
THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT CONSULTING US
- The government must be more transparent and up-front. They have a terrible practice of not consulting working-class communities on ANY development. They are doing a bad job. But nobody has a veto on who becomes your neighbour.
WE ARE NOT AGAINST ASYLUM SEEKERS WE ARE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT WAY OF DOING THINGS
- Protesting at the centres where people are forced to stay is not going to hurt the government – only those inside living in fear.
- The best response is to take part in the housing rally and demand homes for all.
BLACK MEN SCARE OUR FAMILIES
- This is exactly what the far-right says. We are not racist but we don’t want black men. This is about hate and lies. This is pretending to have “concerns” but in fact, it is all about racism.
WHY ARE THEY GIVEN THESE PLACES WHILE THERE ARE IRISH FAMILIES ON THE WAITING LIST?
- First of all because these places would not be suitable for families who need permanent homes.
- Asylum seekers are not on any housing list and are NOT given any homes.
- To house everyone the government must build homes and take over the 166,000 vacant homes and put them to use.