Ireland’s tradition of accepting migrants under election pressure By Reuters
Written by Conor Humphries
BALLAGHADERREEN, Ireland (Reuters) – In the small Irish market town of Ballaghaderreen, the reception of immigrants has long been strained ahead of this week’s general election, which for the first time saw the country’s political parties competing to be tough on immigrants.
A country that has long prided itself on welcoming migrants, Ireland has been rocked in the past two years by anti-immigrant riots in Dublin and low-profile protests against refugee accommodation across the country.
The issue that was important to only 1% of voters when the war in Ukraine started in early 2022 reached 41% in May after the arrival of more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees – the largest number in Western Europe – and the population increase. asylum seekers, one survey showed. Only housing problems and the cost of living were high.
“The issue of immigration… almost came up. It wasn’t an issue three, four, five years ago,” said Claire Kerrane, spokeswoman for the opposition Sinn Fein and a barrister in the area around Ballaghaderreen. in the west of Ireland. “Everybody’s been caught on the back foot a little bit.”
Kerrane was speaking from his office on the high street of Ballaghaderreen, a town of 2,400 people 39 with a foreign-born population of 39% in the 2022 census, a figure likely to grow from then.
Earlier this month, after reports of an alleged assault involving a non-national, hundreds of people marched through the city holding candles to demand more police resources.
Police have issued an unusual “misinformation notice” after a flood of posts about the incident online. Local people angrily booed the out-of-town fall right activists who were trying to join the march.
“There’s definitely something on the far right there,” Kerrane said. “And there’s more of it than ever before.”
MANIFESTO promises
Analysts have pointed to the soft stance on immigration as part of a slide in support for Sinn Fein, the party that last year was the clear favorite to lead the next government.
The left-wing party’s manifesto says migrants are necessary but deportations should be strictly enforced and refugees should not be sent to entry points. It opposes the renewal of the special status of Ukrainian refugees, which comes from 2026.
The centre-right coalition government of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail has already halted immigration benefits and both parties are promising alternatives.
Perhaps unique to Europe, Ireland has no far-right presence in parliament and although there are candidates for the November 29 election, few if any are expected to be elected.
But some local politicians echo their talking points.
“People have lost control of their city. And I think they’re frustrated. And some of them are hopeless,” said independent candidate Eugene Murphy. “Somebody needs to get hold of this situation and deal with it quickly.”
A HISTORY OF CONSOLIDATION
Residents recount the city’s long history of welcoming immigrants, from a halal meat factory in the 1980s that brought in Pakistani butchers to support Syrian refugees in 2017 that won the city a national “Community of the Year” award.
Activists say waves of immigration since – Eastern Europeans arriving from Britain after Brexit, Ukrainian refugees from the war, and a recent surge in asylum seekers – have angered some.
This prompted a local campaign to get more help from more people, from doctors to school districts to the police.
“We were pressured in every way,” said local councilor Michéal Frain, who helped lead the campaign but denied any opposition involvement.
Although services have only recently begun to improve, damage to public relations has occurred. “The mistakes made here are happening in other parts of the country.”
About a dozen local people who were asked on the main road during the busy Monday afternoon, most of them said that they sympathize with the migrants but that the provision of services is a big problem.
“I know people from Ukraine and Syria, they come from bad places and you’d like to help them but there’s a limit to what you can do,” said Michael Mulligan, who runs a hardware store. square.
Some migrant shoppers say they still find the city welcoming, but others say they’ve been too scared lately.
“If someone says there is no racism, that is a big lie,” said Sajjad Hussain, a Pakistani community activist who has been in Ballaghaderreen for more than 20 years and runs Saj’s Barber Shop on the main road. “I’ve never seen it so bad in my life.”
Although only a small percentage of citizens are against immigrants, Hussain says he feels a dangerous change in the situation.
“I’m not only worried about the city, I’m worried about the country,” he said.
