Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tell me how breaking the business model of smugglers has anything to do with search and rescue. We talk about the protection of vulnerable migrants, but it is as if they are not vulnerable unless they end up on our doorstep. We do not want to recognise their vulnerability in the sea. We do not want to recognise their vulnerability in the detention centres we are forcing them to stay in when we intercept their boats and push them back. EU money supports that, and Government MEPs have voted for it. It is no good sitting at home telling ourselves we are all great people, we are not very racist, we all care and sure we will give them access to whatever when they get here but we will completely ignore that we are contributing to people dying at sea. If it happens far enough away, are we really responsible? We do mental acrobatics in our heads to try to tell ourselves we are not responsible for that. It does not matter whether we stand here and vote against motions, put in countermotions that destroy the principles of human rights and dignity or go into the fucking sea ourselves and push them away with our own hands - I apologise and retract the "F" word - we are responsible.