Towards the end of November last year, the United Nations Refugee Agency had scheduled a workshop at a Dublin-based hotel. The event was intended to unite individuals with refugee experiences to converse about the integration of migrants. However, on November 23rd, just two days prior to the event, civil unrest broke out in Dublin. By the morning of the following Friday, it was apparent that the majority of the invitees would not attend. Dublin residents were scared to traverse the city, while those outside Dublin were apprehensive about travelling far from home. The decision was thus made to defer the workshop.
The upheaval that night in Dublin was appalling, particularly the fact that people from minority ethnic backgrounds, women in hijabs, and foreign-accented young men were too fearful to use public transportation that weekend.
A couple of weeks later, the situation stabilised and the event proceeded as planned. During a reflection on the workshop’s impact, attendees expressed that the incident in Dublin had made them reticent about seizing opportunities to participate in local communities.
I sought asylum and came to Ireland when I was 16 years of age. Having spent more than half of my life here, I have grown to love my new country. I can recall a time when I felt secure walking at night in Dublin city centre, even as a person of colour. Unfortunately, a sense of insecurity has now permeated my life along with others of similar backgrounds. The refugee and asylum seeker communities I represent are particularly apprehensive about the safety of their children.
The refugee communities find solace in the fact that extreme anti-migrant sentiments are restricted to a minor group. However, their worry is that misinformation and negative discourse are misleading others. For people like myself and the communities I work with, having established strong friendships and community bonds, these are uneasy times.
When it comes to representing themselves, refugees and asylum seekers feel a greater need to come across as “good refugees”. There’s a perceived hierarchy of acceptance, whereby proficient English speakers or those who come for study purposes are embraced, but asylum seekers who end up as homeless can seem threatening.
In conversations I am part of, the issue of refugees and asylum seekers influx, which is evidently altering Ireland’s societal dynamics, is being openly deliberated. Despite the fact that I bear a resemblance to many of those being discussed, these individuals reassure me that I am unlike them. I feel compelled to highlight that refugees are not an impersonal entity; they are your neighbours, they are the people serving in your healthcare industry or at the café around the corner, they are friends to your children, they are people like me.
Current discussions about immigration may eventually fade away, but the dread amongst refugee communities persists; the concern is that the current policies being formulated may set in motion irreversible repercussions not only for them, but for anyone who is forced to leave their home and arrive in Ireland seeking refuge.
[‘This is my home, my children were born here, I don’t have any intentions to seek a different country’]
We at UNHCR applaud the Taoiseach for his devotion towards a judicious immigration system. We appreciate the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection Applicants, a Government publication that was released in March. This strategy outlines a definite roadmap for the accommodation of asylum seekers for a mid to long term duration. We have waited eagerly for a plan like this, and we anticipate its execution whilst ensuring the Government upholds the cardinal principles of the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision.
In the spirit of celebrating World Refugee Day, and throughout the Refugee Week Ireland, we encourage individuals to make refugees and asylum seekers feel acknowledged and welcomed, and to establish connections with such individuals on a personal level. For someone seeking asylum or a refugee, trivial gestures of kindness can mean the world.
As a UNHCR member, and being of refugee background myself, I have observed the remarkable work being done in promoting the inclusion, support, and welcome of refugees in local communities – regardless of the disparaging narrative propagated by a minimal extremist faction. Encountering such acts of goodwill in person, rekindles my faith in humanity.
Several years back, my family and I resettled in a countryside region of Wexford where we were complete strangers. The uncertainties that came with integrating into an already established community were overwhelming. After a school day, my son, who was 10 at the time, was approached by a man who was a member of the GAA club, extending an invitation to the child to join the Club. Though apprehensive initially, we were persuaded by the coach’s perseverance and, on a certain Friday evening, let my son go. The moment when the coach presented him with a jersey and said, “I hope you’ll be seen in this for the following 30 years”, is still fresh in my memory. The warmth of that simple act instilled a significant sense of belonging in my son.
Similar instances of building connections take place continually in various Irish parishes, towns, and villages. When it comes to promoting inclusion and integration, the role of local communities is vital. Therefore, it’s imperative for our political leaders to recognise and support their endeavours. If local services are apprehended due to population growth, it becomes essential to pay attention to the communities’ worries and address them since goodwill is a resource that can easily be used up.
We, as individuals, should also do our part by proactively condemning hate speeches or misinformation.
Lastly, it is important to understand that one does not opt to become a refugee by choice. As Warsan Shire, a Somalian-English poet, acutely expresses: “No one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark / You only run for the border / when you see the whole city running as well.”
This has been penned by Diane Ihirwe who is a Senior Community Based Protection Associate with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Ireland.