A community meeting to discuss the arrival of a Syrian Family in Lismore as part of a pilot community sponsorship programme was disrupted by several people from Dublin last night.
Lismore has been selected by the Department of Justice as one of a number of towns to run a pilot community sponsorship programme to welcome and help to integrate refugees into Ireland.
Last night’s meeting, attended by Minister of State for Equality, Migration and Integration David Stanton TD, was organised by the Lismore Welcome Project, an independent group of volunteers from the Lismore/Cappoquin area set up to spearhead the community response and put preparations in place to welcome a Syrian refugee family to the town this summer.
The meeting, which was held in the town’s Heritage Centre, was marked by disruption by various groups who voiced their concern over the initiative.
Lynn Glascoe, chair of the 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 ask their questions.
“What we have agreed to do is that we will find a quiet corner and have a coffee morning, there we will be able to address their questions without interruption.”
Brian Buckley, a resident in Lismore who is in favour of the project says is 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 was 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 down 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 applauded 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.”
