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

I thank all our guests for being here and for their ongoing work. I am particularly aware of Ms McDonald's proactive work in the community in which she operates. The Hope and Courage Collective is really going to help us all turn the tide.

I want to focus on what the political system is not doing. I appreciate what Ms McDonald said about the social media companies. As a committee, we should listen to what she said about communicating with the Minister.

Last week, a debate on the arson attacks took place in the House. During it, quite a number of political groupings focused on issues with the immigration system, the failures of that system, communication issues and all the rest of it. I feel we have reached the point where there is almost a legitimacy being given to those who block roads, board buses or protest outside people's homes. I was a bit taken aback that the outcry about those in one particular location, who were seen quite clearly to be intimidating women and children getting off a bus, did not last long in the public mindset.

It is not today or yesterday that these arson attacks started. They have been going on since 2018, as far as I know. I think there have been 23 such attacks, but I stand open correction on that. Whenever these attacks are equated with what happened in Alabama in the 1950s, people say it is going too far. I do not know about that, because arson attacks are all about intimidation. Ms McDonald referred to public humiliation and public representatives. That is a thing as well. The point is that you cannot speak about this or you cannot say anything about it or you will be targeted and dumped on.

I agree with what Ms McDonald said about Government rhetoric. I do not want to be unfair to the Government because it is are part of the solution and many voices in government have been strong. However, this month in particular, I have heard the phrases "clamping down", "cracking down" and "deportations will increase". This means that the discussion is not about violence; it is about immigration. I know that our guests have done work with individual political parties. What more can political parties do? I am mindful of the fact that this year we are going to have local elections, European elections and, most likely, a general election. What more needs to be done by political representatives and parties?

We have debated this matter within the political system for a long time. Do our guests believe we should engage with this stuff or resist platforming it? The more you engage with it, the more you are possibly doing the job of those involved because that is what they want. They want people to engage, react and debate. Then, all of a sudden, you find yourself wrestling a pig, so you cannot win. After that, you find yourself ignoring the issue. I am not sure if that works any more.

I have two main questions. What reaction do our guests want from the political system across the Government and the Opposition? Should we ignore or engage?