Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I received a communication from an Irish citizen who is living in Lanzarote. It is reflective of many Irish citizens in that area but also, I am told, of other Irish and EU citizens living in other parts of the EU. I will cite extracts from the letter, with the writer's permission:

My name is Joe Bracken. I am a 56 year old musician living on the island of Lanzarote. I am also an ex soldier, having served at home and abroad. As you may or may not be aware, we are currently in the 10th week of lockdown. [This was two weeks ago.] We have lost all our work, I have not worked since March 14th. When the lockdown was put in place, we were assured by the Spanish government that measures would be put in place to make sure nobody went without. They assured us that rent, mortgages, and bills would be put on hold during the state of alarm.

[...] After all the promises of the Spanish government, I myself after 8 weeks in lockdown, having no savings and completely penniless, received €129 for unemployment. Some of the workers out here [...] have received nothing at all and this week 10.

[...] To summarize, we have been basically hung out to dry by the Spanish government. I state my case again here, I would like to know why the Irish government does not put pressure on the Spanish government to ensure that [Irish citizens receive] similar benefits to EU citizens of all nationalities residing in the EU country of Ireland. This is a crisis, folks, let there be no misinterpretation of this. Some people living on the island of Lanzarote and all the other tourists hotspots in Spain have been hung out to dry and are receiving little or no help. €17 a week, I ask you, "Could you live on that?" with the constant stress also of [when will we get or] will we get rent relief."

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