Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

When coming here today, I was reflecting on a quote from James Larkin of 110 years ago, "Intolerance has been the curse of our country." Looking at some of the things that have happened over the past couple of weeks, it is unfortunate that 110 years after one of our greatest revolutionaries said that, we seem to be facing into it again.

In the part of Dublin in which I am based, over last week graffiti was sprayed on social housing. I will not read out what some of the graffiti said but it was absolutely appalling. It was racist, it was disgusting and it was embarrassing for the area. I spoke to a number of residents who were ashamed to look at that graffiti across from their houses. They were ashamed to think of what it would mean for people who might be coming to look to live in the area. I commend Dublin City Council on removing it. It was very quick to remove it, but that should not be how we operate.

People need somewhere to live. There is a points-based system. There is a public document that anyone can look at on how houses are allocated by Dublin City Council. There may be a delay in people getting houses because they had to be repaired and fixed and the local authority had to do things.

I will briefly reflect on a former leader of the English Defence League, EDL, who shared something online. I am somewhat stunned by the so-called "Irish patriots" cosying up to the EDL, which is based in a country we were colonised by for 800 years. I am not entirely sure where the patriotism is coming from. This is really disappointing. Many of the people I spoke to were appalled that this had happened in their constituency. This comes only a couple of weeks after the xenophobic attack on the two Croatian men who were beaten up, and one of whom, Josip Strok, subsequently died from his injuries. They were told to speak English in, of all places, Ireland. The cognitive dissonance that has to occur in order for someone to beat someone up, or actually murder someone, because Josip died from his injuries, for not speaking our colonisers' language leaves me somewhat befuddled.

There has been a trail of vandalism, arson and destruction across our country. We need only look at Aughrim. I refer to people who are just going to work, trying to do an honest day's work on a site, and trying to get an amenity ready for people to eat and socialise ahead of the summer season. The bullying, vile and intimidation tactics I have seen against those workers, people who are just trying to make a living, was utterly appalling and it is all being driven online by this rabid fantasy that is developing. Any building or any stone that is being turned at this point seems to become a target for something. This is no way for us, as a modern country, to live, where workers cannot go onto a building site because they do not know whether they will be intimidated. It is important we have a conversation about that in this House above party politics because we have always said that we are a land of welcome. Unfortunately, James Larkin's words are still ruling strong today.