Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It does not matter how far back in the system we go; we are responsible.

Today we have a Government, which is not supporting a motion that calls for search and rescue. How does that make sense? Does the Minister of State think a smuggler cares how many times we send people back to the detention centre? I am sure they are rubbing their hands at the prospect of another trip to be paid for. They will be saying, "Oh, you are back again? You were intercepted again? Okay, this is how much it will cost to go again." What business model is being interrupted here? There is absolutely no business model being interrupted. If someone dies at sea, the smuggler sitting at home does not decide not to smuggle the next day because someone died at sea. None of that makes sense, and the Minister of State's contribution did not address what Senator Gavan has said about the removal of search and rescue and the interception of people at sea. That is what we are standing over today. We can stand in this Chamber and give big fancy speeches about how much we care, but we do not. We do not care. If you come in and vote for this countermotion, you do not care. What we say and whether we act on what say actually matters. It does matter that Ireland sends a strong message to the EU that it does not support people dying. We are saying people have a right to international protection when we are trying to stop people and to push back against migrants. We are saying these people have a right to be here and a right to international protection. However, at EU level we are making sure they do not get there to exercise that right. We are stopping people getting the right to claim asylum in a country, by intercepting them at sea.

We also have legislation coming through on hate speech. How is this not incitement to hatred? How is not saving people at sea not incitement to hatred? How is intercepting a boat and sending people back into dangerous waters not incitement to hatred? It is a targeted act against vulnerable people who are not of the same race and social class of many of the people making the decisions. It is incitement, and we are choosing for them to die. I urge everyone who comes into this Chamber to speak up for migrants to stay in their offices and not come up to vote for this countermotion.