A SEA CHANGE in public attitudes towards immigration partly fueled by the spreading of disinformation has hampered the efforts of volunteers to help international protection seekers in Ireland, people working in the sector have said.

A report by the Irish Refugee Council this year gathered testimony from 49 volunteers, many of whom have experienced regular abuse online and in person from far-right agitators.

Long-time volunteers who recently spoke to The Journal say they’ve never felt more unsafe while undertaking the work.

Verbal abuse, unwanted filming and doxxing are common occurrences, and volunteers consistently cited the emboldening of toxic online communities as one possible reason for the increase in harassment.

Olivia Headon has been volunteering in Dublin since April, after returning to Ireland following 10 years of humanitarian work around the world.

“I’ve worked in conflict zones … but I’ve never felt as unsafe [there] as I felt during the summer here in Ireland.”

Headon says she’s been targeted by people who falsely claim she is getting paid, working for the United Nations or an NGO – an accusation frequently made by far-right agitators.

“You could literally have the visible proof that what they’re saying is wrong, but it still won’t dispel it from their mind because they’ve seen it so much online.”

Headon recounted multiple instances where she’d been targeted, shouted at and filmed. While she is committed to continuing her volunteer work, others have had to take a step back as a result of the current climate.

Volunteers use Whatsapp group chats to share information from asylum seekers, coordinate efforts, and do call-outs for supplies.

Headon said that as they’re not led by an established organisation, but rather an informal network of people, they have no protection and very little support when things go wrong.

“It has made people a lot more cautious. They used to bring their kids with them all the time, because a lot of the volunteers are mums, but they don’t necessarily do that anymore. Their kids have been filmed … these are videos where people are saying ‘you’re a child abuser’.”

I’ve had people telling me that I’m doing this because I just want to have sex with the asylum seekers.

This is an allegation commonly levelled at female volunteers.

One woman, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of attracting more attention, said that when she brings donations to accommodation centres, people film her or even block her entry.

She also told The Journal that she’s been followed home. When she encounters agitators in person, they shout far-right talking points, or incorrect information about her private life, which has been spread online.

She described one occasion where she was exiting a charity shop with clothes she had bought for asylum seekers. A story was spread on social media that she had taken the clothes from the shop before they had been put out for other people to buy.

“There are streets I wouldn’t go into anymore to pick up donations … because of the abuse that I’ve got myself, I don’t want to turn up on the wrong doorstep,” she said.

“I’ve been volunteering for over 10 years now and I’ve noticed a huge change.”

Another volunteer who wished to remain anonymous said that social media has been used as a means to mobilise and embolden people with anti-immigration views.

“They wouldn’t be looking at Prime Time or the RTÉ News, or Newstalk, or reading The Journal,” he said.

“Their information is Twitter … you can put anything up on that and it’s seen as gospel.”

He’s been followed and had his car’s number plate photographed and posted online, which he says instilled fear in him for a time.

On social media, he said he’s seen people “fabricate” stories about asylum seekers and their movements with the aim of sparking outrage and increasing numbers at protests.

Initially they were targeting the guys (asylum seekers) … but then during the summer there was a change, and they started targeting us, the volunteers.

Over time, it’s become trickier for volunteers to discuss their work within their communities as, while some people have genuine concerns, others have fallen victim to false online narratives.

“I just find with family and friends, it’s not everywhere you can say that you’re supporting these guys,” the male volunteer said.

“A lot of family and friends would say yes, that [asylum seekers] need to be given some respect and treated with dignity. But there is a big question mark over the numbers that are coming … that there’s, as they would say, no vetting.”

He said the answer is two-pronged: education about the asylum-seeking process and transparency about the government’s plans for accommodating applicants in communities.

All the volunteers who spoke to The Journal agreed that there was inadequate information and engagement from the government prior to the housing of large numbers of international protection applicants in small communities.