Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that he is “very concerned about the rise of the far right” in Ireland and that recent violent scenes are “not the Irish way”.
There have been a number of protests and demonstrations in recent weeks regarding the arrival of International Protection seekers in various parts of the country.
There was a large protest outside Finglas garda station in Dublin on Wednesday evening. On Monday, a building was set alight in the north inner city of Dublin following suggestions that migrants would move into the locality.
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Speaking following a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Government Buildings, the Taoiseach confirmed that the pair had spoken about the ongoing war in Ukraine and the refugee crisis.
When asked if Ireland could do anything to combat the rise of the far-right, Mr Varadkar told the media that he was concerned about the scenes witnessed in recent days.
“I'm very concerned about the rise of the far right and the rise of racism in Ireland,” he said.
"Refugees are welcome here.
“It's important that we have robust systems in place to make sure that we welcome those who are genuinely fleeing war and oppression and return those who are not. I want people to be sure that that is what we will do.
“But the scenes that we've seen in recent days and in recent weeks really aren't acceptable.
“It is not the Irish way. Irish people understand migration. All of our families have been shaped by it. We've been welcomed all around the world and in some parts of the world, we've been mistreated.
“As a country, we should know better.
“The scenes that we've seen in recent days in recent weeks really must be condemned. It's not the Irish way of doing things.”
Mr Varadkar said that the gardaí are “on top” of potential breaches of law and violence. The Taoiseach also stressed that while people can protest, they should not do so “outside the residence of vulnerable people”.
Ms Metsola said that migration will be spoken about in the run-up to next year’s European Elections and that politicians “cannot face our citizens without a comprehensive policy on migration in the EU”.
She said that this means giving protection to those who are eligible and being “firm” with those who are not”.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Justice Minister Simon Harris said that gardaí are taking the protests “seriously” and that anyone who has concerns about migrants should “not allow [these] concerns to be hijacked or exploited by what are clearly far-right elements”.
He said that there is a “small number of people with sinister motivations travelling from location to location.”
The Fine Gael TD also confirmed that there are several garda investigations underway.
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