A community information meeting to discuss a proposed Syrian housing project in county Waterford was marked by disruption last night.
The information meeting, to discuss the arrival of a Syrian Family to Lismore was obstructed by various groups, including several non-locals, who voiced their concern over the initiative and the practice of receiving refugees generally.
The West Waterford town has been selected by the Department of Justice as one of a number of towns to run a pilot community sponsorship programme to house and help refugees integrate into the country.
Last night’s meeting, attended by Minister of State for Equality, Migration and Integration David Stanton, was organised by the Lismore Welcome Project, a volunteer group from the local area established in 2018 to lead the community response to the Syrian refugee crisis and put preparations in place to welcome a Syrian family to the town this summer.
Before the Minister of State addressed the already unsettled audience, a person identified Rowan Croft as being in attendance at the meeting. He was live streaming the event for his YouTube page. The following hour was marked by several instances of shouting, disruption and intimidation.
Speaking after the event, Eibhlin Byrne, the Director of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme said “I was very proud of the people of Lismore. So many of them came out this evening to help to plan the community sponsorship programme in the town; I think that they will make a Syrian family very welcome.
“There was certainly an orchestrated effort to bring a sense of fear and hatred into the meeting but it is my sense that people went away from the meeting even more determined to show that Lismore is not a place of hatred or fear but a place of welcome and warmth”.
Following the meeting Lynn Glascoe, chair of the Lismore Welcome Project, says she will now meet with locals to address any concerns:
“I thought it was unfortunate. I met with some of the ladies from Lismore after the meeting because the disruptions, from people who were from outside of the area, did not allow them to actually ask their questions.
“I think it was quite obvious from the number of people who stood up at the end clapping, that the absolute majority of the people who are in support of the idea of the programme.”
“What we have agreed to do is that we will find a quiet corner and have a coffee morning, where we will be able to address their questions without interruption.”
Brian Buckley, a resident in Lismore who is in favour of the project says it was a shame that a discussion could not take place due to the disruption.
“I think it was shameful the way it went down. I think there were people who came down, who aren’t from the locality, who came to hijack the meeting and got their own views ahead of the local community.
“The majority of people came here to see what this project was about and we’re leaving none the wiser because of a handful of people trying to disrupt the whole thing.”
Local Minister of State John Halligan TD has described the behaviour of protestors as ‘reprehensible’.
He praised the people of Lismore who made it clear that they were not interested in the racist views being expressed:
“It is important to note that those who protested at the meeting are not from Lismore, they travelled to the town to cause hassle and attempt to turn what is such a positive community programme into a negative situation.
“This Government initiative attempts to match a family from the camps in the Lebanon with a local community, who will help them connect with services, assist their kids in starting school and generally make them feel welcome in a foreign land.
“The people of Lismore who turned up at the meeting wanted to hear more about it, they wanted to help, and it is shameful that this group of xenophobes thought they had a right to cause such disruption.
“However, it is a fantastic reflection on the people of Lismore that, instead of listening to the negativity in the room, they instead gave standing ovations to the members of the Lismore Welcome Project panel. They sent a very clear message that hate and racism have no place in their home town.”
