President Higgins warns of 'poisonous xenophobia' against people fleeing war and persecution

President Michael D Higgins delivers his St Patrick’s Day Message 2023 at Áras an Uachtaráin. Picture: Maxwells

President Michael D Higgins has warned of an increase in "poisonous xenophobia" that has sown the seeds of fear against those fleeing war and persecution.

There are "powerful echoes" from St Patrick's migrant life that "resonate" today, the President has said in asking Irish people to react with "kindness and compassion" to those arriving here.

President Higgins has used his St Patrick's Day address to pay special tribute to school communities across the country who "have opened their arms to new pupils and shown a deep commitment of respect and solidarity.".

He said we have "a moral and ethical responsibility" to support "our global family" and we must "extend a hand of support" to those fleeing the ravages of hunger, conflict, and climate change.

"There are many powerful echoes from Patrick’s life that resonate with our contemporary circumstances, ones that have brought new forms of slavery into being, where racism is increasing rather than decreasing, in so many parts of a world, where a poisonous xenophobia, new and recalled, has taken hold in so many places. It is in these spaces where fear is being sowed," he warned.

The President also highlighted the contribution that those fleeing the war in Ukraine and the thousands seeking international protection here have to offer.

He said the story of St Patrick was a reminder of the resilience and necessary courage of migrants and a reminder of the contributions that they have made, and continue to make, to the countries they call home.

He said St Patrick’s message was at its core one of respect for nature and it is "such a tragic injustice" that those nations suffering the greatest human and economic impact of climate change are those who were least responsible for the emissions that threaten their very existence.

"Our planet is scarred by the consequences of human actions, actions often sourced in greed, actions that have had a direct bearing on our changing climate, constituting, as it does now, one of the greatest challenges of our time, reflected in extreme weather events, widespread displacement and forced migration across our world, and the loss of fertile land."

The President ended his address by saying we must commemorate St Patrick’s legacy by "mustering the courage to recover the best instincts of our humanity" and by "extending a hand of support to all those in need with whom we share this planet".