Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the point made that there is an untold story in Ireland that is not getting the attention it deserves, which is the quiet work being done throughout the country by people in communities who are supporting people seeking international protection. That can be seen in communities throughout Ireland. It does not get the attention others get but it is happening throughout our country. It is something many of us are very supportive and proud of. It could be seen last weekend. I want to talk about what happened last weekend, but many people in my constituency last Saturday and Sunday were fund-raising and getting equipment together, including tents, sleeping materials, mats and other essential equipment, to make sure that people who had been brought out to Crooksling would have more than the very minimum they were provided with at the time. They also supported people who did not feel safe there and had returned to the city centre. It is commendable that people stepped in to do that but people should not feel the need to step in for failures in what the State is doing. We see this not just in terms of people seeking international protection. We see it all the time in respect of homeless people who are sleeping on our streets that a deficiency in services means that volunteers step in to try to breach those deficiencies, and then often get a lot of criticism from the very State agencies that are not doing enough to support people.

The second thing I will say is not to take away from anyone's efforts in this area. I appreciate it is a challenging area, but what has happened is the State has been dehumanising in its treatment of people. There is no question that leaving people out in the street, with no toilet facilities, water or support, is anything but an abject failure of the State. It dehumanises people fleeing war and persecution. It also has to be said that what happened last Saturday was not the right way to go about this. People were effectively ordered onto buses at 8 a.m. without any notice and with very little information. They were told they could not bring bedding with them but just backpacks. The only information they were given was that they were told they would be accommodated somewhere comfortable. They were not told they were going to be accommodated in flimsy tents. They arrived at a site in the Dublin Mountains where protestors were soon outside on a site that had been subject to an arson attack.

When the men had been removed from the Mount Street area, their tents - effectively their homes - the small amount of bedding they had and so forth were removed and ripped up. This resulted in a situation whereby some of the people had no shelter at all last Saturday night. That is not the way to treat people. It is not dignified and is not the kind of respect that people should be shown. There should have been proper engagement. People should be communicated with and given information. Notwithstanding any challenges the State has with regard to its response, there would at least have been time to treat people with a bit of dignity and respect and not be taking away from their bit of agency. That is very important. When one has nothing or next to nothing, one's agency is very important. The very least the State could do is not to take that away. That is very important, as is treating people as human beings and engaging with them.

The situation in Crooksling is not the answer, particularly in view of the very basic provision there. Time and again we are seeing this, whether it relates to how people seeking international protection are treated or our challenges in the areas of health, housing or homelessness. We are seeing the State turning challenges into crises and difficult situations and, sometimes unwittingly, into flashpoints. We need much stronger leadership from the State in the context of providing the basic necessities for people who need them. We do not need more solutions provided by the private sector that give rise to large profits for some providers; we need a State or not-for-profit response.

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