Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Everyone of us in these Houses knows that to advocate for the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and Travellers is not politically popular. If this is the case, there is a racism issue. I am not saying that every person who does not want migrants in Ireland is racist, but there clearly will be a section of people who are. There is clearly a challenge. We can go a long way in taking action to deal with these issues if we deliver on Traveller ethnicity, radically reform the direct provision system and look at the regularisation of migrants as proposed by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. The core point today is that it is time for a new action plan on racism. We need to focus on this area again. We need to win hearts and minds. It appears that most Members in these Houses advocate for these matters, but they are not popular issues. We are doing something wrong, and the best way to deal with that is to put in place concrete actions and measures to combat the views out there.

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