‘legitimate fears’ | 

Asylum protesters ‘not the Nazis people portraying them as’, Fine Gael minister says

Patrick O’Donovan described many of the protesters as decent people with concerns and misgivings

Hugh O’Connell, Deputy Political Editor

Today at 20:48

A LOT of protesters outside refugee and asylum seeker accommodation “are not the Nazis some people would like to portray them as”, a Fine Gael minister has told a private party meeting.

Office of Public Works Minister Patrick O’Donovan described many of the protesters as decent people with concerns and misgivings, describing them as local people with legitimate fears.

Mr O’Donovan told a private party meeting that peaceful protesters should not have “fingers wagged at them” and should not be lectured to by people who do not live in their area for expressing concerns about changes in their community including huge population growth.

The Limerick TD argued to his party colleagues that it does not make them bad people to legitimately contact their public representative to express their concerns or to protest peacefully.

The immigration issue dominated the first Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting of the new year, which lasted more than four hours in Leinster House on Tuesday.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he will always make the case that immigration is good for Ireland and it would not have the public services it has or as strong an economy without migrants. Mr Varadkar said he wanted a migration system that is welcoming and fair but also firm.

Clare-based senator Martin Conway described the communications strategy on migration as a “dog’s dinner” and said he could not understand the “flip-flopping” on accommodation centres that were intended to be used for males now being used for women and children.

Former ministers Seán Kyne and Colm Brophy criticised the lack of a plan for accommodation of migrants in communities across the country.

Waterford-based senator John Cummins said the Coalition needs to demonstrate that Ireland’s rules-based system is being applied and that the more than 800 deportation orders issued last year have been implemented. Dublin Bay North TD Alan Farrell questioned how deportation orders are delivered.

Other contributors included former minister Frank Feighan, who said the Government needed to do better on communication and planning for refugee and asylum seeker accommodation.

Elsewhere, other participants raised concerns about the viability of small businesses amid a looming deadline to pay back Covid-era tax debts. Sources said Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney told the meeting there would be further support for small businesses but did not provide any detail.

He said businesses will receive €250m in grants before the end of March to help overcome challenges and Revenue would be flexible on the repayment of warehouse tax debt.