Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

None of us in this House wants to see the issue of race or migration become centre stage in our politics, most of all somebody like me, given my colour and my family background and the fact I am biracial. I ask the Deputy to consider his approach to this, and to consider it carefully. I know he is well-intentioned and fervently anti-racist and internationalist. I absolutely accept that. I just ask the Deputy not to play their game inadvertently. Do not make any excuses for them. No matter what problem a country faces, the far right and racists will blame it on migrants. If we did not have a housing crisis and we had an unemployment crisis, they would blame that on the migrants instead.

If we did not have an unemployment crisis, they would blame crime on the migrants. They will always pick on whatever issue is hurting a country at a particular time and try to blame that on the other. I would just ask the Deputy not to make excuses for them or do anything that might inadvertently play into their arguments.

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