Treat all our refugees as cherished guests

DESPITE a welcome shift in attitude on the refugee crisis at political level across Europe and in this country, it is demonstrably clear that Ireland is ill-prepared to cope with an influx of refugees from Middle East war zones and Africa seeking asylum here. Were it not for the compassion shown by German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has convinced Germany to take in as many as 800,000 Syrian refugees this year, it is doubtful other EU leaders would have budged.

Clearly, the Fine Gael/Labour coalition has been embarrassed by Ms Merkel and also by public opinion, which as usual is way ahead of political strategy, into accepting what Taoiseach Enda Kenny said “may be more” than the 1,800 figure mentioned yesterday by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. The burning questions are where will they be accommodated and how will they be treated by officialdom?

Already, according to the Irish Refugee Council, there are around 6,000 asylum seekers in this country, some 2,000 of them children, living under the so-called Direct Provision system described by Equality Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin as “broken” and “not fit for purpose”. They live in overcrowded and often unhygienic conditions, sharing basic facilities with other families, sometimes with an entire family sharing one room. Some have been waiting for years for a decision on their case, barely existing on a pittance of a weekly allowance of €19.10, not allowed to work, crammed into a confined living space. According to the Refugee Council, such conditions militate against a natural family environment.