Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, I attended a powerful rally at Grangegorman organised by the students' union at TU Dublin in response to a racist attack on international students. Two hundred students came out to say that we will not stand for people being attacked because of the colour of their skin or where they come from. It is exactly what we need in response to the spate of violent racist attacks we have seen in the wake of the anti-refugee protests - no pandering to racism but standing up strong against it.

It is the same spirit that will motivate thousands of people to participate in the Ireland For All solidarity march at Parnell Square at 1.30 p.m. this Saturday. It is now supported by almost the entire trade union movement; by migrants' organisations such as the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, the Irish Refugee Council and the Immigrant Council of Ireland; by anti-racist organisations like United Against Racism and Le Chéile; by feminist organisations like the National Women's Council of Ireland and Women's Collective Tallaght; by community organisations like Ballymun For All, Drimnagh For All and East Wall Here For All; and by football clubs and boxing clubs. The list goes on. They all understand the need to take a stand against racism and division. They know that in order to build a movement to force the Government to actually deal with the housing crisis, the health crisis and the neglect of our communities, we must stand united and that it only serves those who benefit from these crises to have people wrongly divided and wrongly blaming asylum seekers and refugees.

The Government has taken a very different approach. Last Wednesday, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that we should not play into those arguments. The very next day, he told the media that we need to be fair, firm and hard when it comes to migration. He spoke about people who come to Ireland with a false story or on false pretences. It was a shameful attempt to pander to anti-refugee sentiment and this shameful rhetoric has been matched with shameful actions. The Government has left over 100 people fleeing war and persecution sleeping on the streets in the context of an increase in racist violence. The Minister for Justice spoke inaccurately about people coming to our country illegally while speeding up deportations.

It is not a mystery where this political rhetoric will end up, because all across Europe, Fine Gael's sister parties have done exactly the same thing in response to the rise of the far right. All that has achieved is to legitimise its arguments and allow it to shape its narrative and drive its rise further.

Thankfully, the thousands who will turn out on Saturday do not share the Taoiseach's approach. They know there are enough resources in this country for everybody to have a decent home, a decent job and a decent standard of living, and they want to see homes for all, healthcare for all, services for all and an Ireland for all.

Will the Taoiseach listen to them? Will he abandon the current strategy, combat misinformation instead of pandering to it and tackle the underlying causes of alienation, which give fuel to anti-refugee sentiment, by committing to building social housing, using vacant properties and providing quality, accessible public healthcare for all?

See this speech in context