Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am looking forward to the new year, working with the new Leader and the new Cathaoirleach. Hopefully I will have as good a relationship with both of them as I had with the previous two people in those roles. I know I often get up to speak about the inequalities that the Traveller community faces within Irish society. For many years we have been the subject of hatred. We have been told that people do not want Travellers living in certain locations. We have seen Travellers' houses being burnt. We have seen lots of hatred towards our community. What is happening to refugees now, and what is happening in a lot of working-class communities, is fear-mongering and hatred. I know many a person from my community and beyond who is homeless. A few of them are single mothers, and some of them are desperate and in need of human rights and equality and for their needs to be met around housing or services within society. I just want to flag that. Not all of the people taking part in these protests are bad people. We have to understand that they are driven. I know that oppressed people can sometimes become the oppressors. According to bell hooks, "being oppressed is the absence of choices". I think it is up to this Government to take responsibility.We are not dealing with the housing crisis in the way we should be and there is no harm in saying that. It is not people's fault and the people who are here, be it men, women or children, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I am an Irish citizen, born and reared in Ireland, and have often walked down the street and been called a scummy knacker. I have often heard them say "you don't belong here". So who is Ireland's own? I want to put that message out there because by God it is not the Travellers. People come here and my own experience is that two of my children were delivered by Muslim doctors. We need to be very mindful even in labelling people as racist as well. I am trying to get that out there. We need to be careful with our language because a lot of people do not know what they are getting themselves into. They do not know what they are driven by and that is hatred and fear. This Government needs to take responsibility that it is the problem regarding the homeless crisis, not other refugees.