Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Labour Party, we want to show solidarity with the Minister of Justice and with her family, after the difficulties she went through last week, and indeed, with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. This is the inevitable consequence of people in political life and people with influence not tempering their language and making their case or arguments in a more restrained manner. Over the recent time, it is quite clear that there is an impression that the Government is making this up as it goes along. At the Oireachtas justice committee last week, the Minister made the contention that 80% of all asylum seekers coming into the State are coming via the North. The Tánaiste has flatly contradicted her on that and we cannot seem to get any sort of figures or evidence or data to back up what she has said. Regarding the EU migration and asylum pact, as was said again at yesterday's Oireachtas justice committee meeting, quite a number of NGOs are outlining their difficulty with the pact on the fact that they believe it will undermine some of the human rights implications of the pact and the basic ability of individuals to seek asylum. Approximately 160 human rights organisations across Europe have difficulties with this pact.

There is no more clear illustration of the failure of Government policy that what has happened on Mount Street. It is impossible not to come to the conclusion that what happened on St. Patrick's weekend was a PR stunt. Again, today, we have something similar. The language being used by the Taoiseach is so unfortunate; he called it "an illegal encampment". That is not in anyway the type of phraseology he should use. If the Taoiseach or the Minister were to spend some time down there, they would have a sense of the appalling conditions that are evident on Mount Street. I spent a good bit of time myself down there. There was a movement of individuals around St. Patrick's weekend but there were more tents there up until this morning than there had been previously.

The Labour Party finds it very difficult to support the EU migration pact on the basis of the undermining of the basic ability of individuals to claim asylum and the fact that this has come from the more right-wing viewpoint within the European Union.

The Minister's job has not been made easier because of people in the political system who are the raising the temperature, tension and fear. I refer in particular to the Rural Independent Group who consistently try to equate migration with crime. They attempt it at every chance they possibly can get. We had the appalling spectacle of one Deputy from the group making a speech to a number of people at a protest who said we were being colonised. Then, even yesterday, the same Deputy managed to equate An Garda Síochána with the B Specials in respect of a protest that happened in Newtownmountkennedy recently. I did not hear anything from this group, or see anything in the motion, that spoke to attacks on An Garda Síochána or on other elements within society that are trying to uphold the law, including politicians. I find it frankly hilarious. This is same bunch who wear their religion on their sleeves but I grew up with the tale of the good Samaritan when we were told to believe in and instinctively understand the humanity of people whom we do not know or who are strangers to us. I find it hilarious to hear Deputy Michael Healy-Rae complain about the millions of euro that are being spent on the system when he personally has gained €660,000 for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees over the past number of years, and that was not declared to this House before his contribution.

I was also pretty disappointed again in contributions of Sinn Féin Members today. I have noticed a shift to the right from Sinn Féin when it comes to the issue of migration, which has previously presented itself to the people as a party on the left. What it has attempted to do in this Parliament is to go to the right of Government when it comes to supports for Ukrainian refugees and to change its view on hate crime legislation on a whim, which, in fairness to the Minister, she has told me she is intending to pursue, despite the fact that there have been 23 arson attacks against accommodation centres over the past number of years and, indeed, a Croatian man was beaten to death only a number of weeks ago because apparently his assailants viewed his non-speaking of English as being cause enough to attack him. Of course, members of the LGBT community are in constant fear because apparently they are now open game in this new anti-woke culture that is being propagated by many Members in this Oireachtas and beyond. Much of the rhetoric from Sinn Féin regarding the EU migration pact comes straight out of the far-right copybook across Europe. Everybody in this House needs to reflect on what kind of road they want to walk Irish politics down over the next number of years because if the atmosphere, anger, tension and violence I have witnessed over the past months is anything to go by, we are facing a very dark chapter in Irish politics. While it is completely legitimate to raise issues about the immigration system and to talk about a rules-based system, it is not legitimate to dehumanise those who come here seeking sanctuary, it is not legitimate to link criminality with immigration or to talk about loss of culture or about colonisation, it is not legitimate to equate An Garda Síochána with the B Specials and it is not legitimate to stand here and talk about the millions of euro that are being spent on the system when you have gained €660,000 over the past number of years for accommodating Ukrainian refugees.

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