Once again there is a major population shift happening around the world. This is not a new thing but something that has been happening for as long as one section of the human race has as the means to exploit another, we in Ireland are no exception to this. Throughout our history we have been subjected to colonisation, exploitation, slavery and genocide that has forced many Irish men, women and children to flee to the four corners of the world seeking refuge or "a better life", but more times than enough what they experienced was death, forced labour, resentment and demonisation. Today we look on with dismay at the attitude of many Irish people to the plight of others coming to our shores seeking refuge or that "better life".
Make no mistake that the establishment are using the refugee crisis, that they have created ,to suit their own agenda. When Greece tried to stand up to the EU they found their country flooded with refugees causing more hardship to the Greek people who were already brought to their knees by the EU banks. Working class areas throughout Europe are being used as dumping grounds for refugees , some of whom have very complex needs after years of war and exploitation, leaving both themselves and the host communities fearing each other which in turn leads to mistrust and eventually resentment.
Thousands of refugees have lost their lives fleeing the devastation being heaped onto their countries by the west, many have been subjected to violence, rape and imprisonment. Thousands of children have been stolen and forced into the sex trade feeding the depraved desires of some of the very people condemning them being here in the first place.
Then so begins the demonisation, aided and abetted by the right-wing media and politicians blaming everything that is wrong with our society on those "stealing, raping, terrorist foreigners". The real reason we have substandard housing , exploitation in the job market, low standard of healthcare and failing schools is because we have puppets put into government by foreign powers in Westminster and Europe to look after the interests of the establishment not the working class or indeed refugees.
Over the years some of our members have been volunteering in places like the Scaramanga refugee camp in Greece, the Blanco township in South Africa and the Mosney refugee centre here in Ireland and have seen first hand some of the horrors a lot of these families have been through. They have formed strong friendships with a group of Yazidi Kurds who they met in Scaramanga and have now been settled in Ireland, they show photos of their homes and communities back in Aleppo, some of them doctors and pharmacists, artists, farmers and mechanics and they all had to leave behind their way of life, not because they wanted to come over here to "take" our houses and jobs but to find safety from the bombs being dropped by western jets.
The puppets in Leinster house say nothing as US war planes use Shannon airport as a refueling station on their way to bomb countries that a lot of the refugees are fleeing.
They gladly signed the Pesco pact committing to an EU army, an army under the name of NATO that has bombed many defenceless countries.
They tip their hats to and kiss the boots of Israel instead of kicking them out of Ireland because of their behaviour throughout the middle east.
These are the people we should be turning our anger towards, not the people that the establishment are turning into refugees. Raw right-wing Nationalism is a trap that many people throughout Europe are falling into and it is sad to see some people from a Republican mindset here in Ireland are of a similar opinion. Blue shirt nationalism will do nothing but take the focus away from where it should be, the puppets in Leinster house and the Stormont and the foreign occupiers dictators in Brussels and Westminster.
We as republicans need to show leadership by pointing out to our communities that any refugees arriving here are not the enemy, if a refugee family is placed in an area we should get to know them and get the local people to know them to break down any mistrust and fear and to stop them being mistreated or exploited as we as a nation have been.
Beir Bua.
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