Everybody
has the right to live in decent conditions with a sense of security.
Real problems like poverty wages and lack of money, poor services, lack
of a home and fear of abuse or violence blight the lives of many Irish
people.
Recently such conditions continuing over a number of years provoked
over 40 people into organising a protest to demand their rights. That
was how the protest of the Afghani men and students started on Sunday
14 May.
The united hostility from the political establishment and the media,
some of whom portrayed the Afghani protesters as manipulative spivs,
terrorists and abusers in a number of unsubstantiated reports, was a
disgrace.
The Afghani protesters were at different stages in the asylum process
but the majority had their initial cases rejected. Cut off from society
in hostels for up to five years in some cases, not allowed to work,
and not knowing what the future holds – all this is a recipe for
isolation and desperation. Ireland and Denmark are the only two countries
in the EU who have maintained a ban on asylum seekers working.
Despite claims by Michael McDowell to the contrary, Afghanistan is a
war-torn, poverty-ridden country, the bulk of which is in the hands
of vicious warlords, including the Taliban, to which it is not safe
for these men to return.
Even by international standards very few people here are granted asylum
(less than 10%), very few appeals are granted, and very few others are
given "leave to remain". The Refugee Appeals Tribunal is the
only such body in English speaking countries that isn’t obliged
to publish the basis for its decisions. Two people have resigned from
the Tribunal in opposition to its bias.
That a small number of people from the area around St Patrick’s
Cathedral came down to abuse the asylum seekers does reflect a certain
sentiment that exists in society but the media overstated the significance
of this group. Many other locals came down to show their support.
Polls indicated that a majority of people were not sympathetic to the
Afghanis but that situation could have been different. The hunger strike
and the occupation of the Cathedral was not understood or seen as justified
by a lot of people given that the refugees weren’t under immediate
threat of deportation. The State and the media portrayed the refugees
as taking provocative action to justify their intransigent position.
Last year in the case of Kunle,
the school student from Nigeria, there was a lot of public support
because the State was seen to have acted in a disgraceful way. This
was linked to the positive impact the quick action of his schoolmates
had on people’s attitudes.
The preparedness of the Afghanis to make a militant stance for their
rights is to be applauded. However it is clear is that, if possible,
there needs to be activity and preparation in advance of such struggles
in order to win public support which is essential to defeat the anti-refugee
and racist position of the State.
See also:
School students take a stand against deportations
Afghan
asylum seekers hunger strike ended by Gardai
Desperate
hunger strikers should be granted asylum!
Stop
Irish Govt deporting innocent people to Afghanistan
