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Magowna House Hotel in Inch, Co Clare Niall Carson/PA

Taoiseach says 'no need' for protests at refugee housing, after blockade by Clare locals

The dispute centres around Magowna House in Inch, where around 34 asylum seekers arrived yesterday evening.

LAST UPDATE | 16 May 2023

THE TAOISEACH HAS said that there is no need for blockades or protests in communities where refugees are being housed.

The government is to engage with local representatives in Inch, Clare, where several asylum seekers have left their accommodation after locals blocked access routes to the site.

Others looked prepared to leave as their luggage was stacked outside the state-provided accommodation.

Leo Varadkar said: “We shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture here. Nearly 100,000 people have been given shelter, given refuge in Ireland in the past year.

“In the vast majority of cases, they’ve been accepted into local communities and engagement has gone well. 

“In some places it hasn’t and, like I say, there isn’t a need for a blockade or protests.”

Varadkar said that it is “never possible to set a deadline” on when Ireland will stop welcoming refugees “because we can’t predict the number of people who will arrive in Ireland from Ukraine or from other parts of the world”.

While there has been a “significant slowdown in the numbers coming in”, Varadkar “can’t say for sure” whether it will stay that way.

Asked if the government will improve communication with local communities about refugees moving in, he said: “I think it’s the case in life that you always try to do better.

“If people are being fair, ireland as a society, not just the government, has done very well.

“There’s no country in Western Europe that has taken in as many people from Ukraine as we have, as a percentage of our population.

“We’re dealing with it as well as we can.”

ASYLUM Gardai speak to a local resident outside the asylum seeker accommodation Niall Carson / PA Niall Carson / PA / PA

A group of 34 asylum seekers had been brought to three holiday homes on the site of the disused Magowna House Hotel in Inch yesterday evening.

Shortly after their arrival, access roads to the hotel were blocked by protesters using tractors, with another gate blocked by a silage bale.

This morning, around a dozen protesters remained on the blockade, with the tractors swapped for other vehicles in the afternoon.

A small group of locals carrying signs saying “refugees welcome” had gathered across from the protest by the afternoon.

Some of the asylum seekers in the hotel expressed fear over the ongoing situation and headed with their belongings towards Ennis, located around an hour and a half away on foot.

They said they would travel from there back to Dublin city, citing both the quality of the accommodation and local opposition to their presence.

One of the drivers of the tractors, who did not want to provide his name, said locals had concerns about fire safety and sewage management on the site.

He said they expected another bus to arrive and that the asylum seekers were being moved “underhandedly”.

“So we stopped the roads, we blocked the roads so a second bus could not get in.”

He said this was because there would be “70 people in this locality with nowhere to go”.

Protesters did not prevent asylum seekers from leaving.

Sharif from Algeria told reporters that he was leaving the hotel and heading back to Dublin, but said he would have liked to stay.

“We’re going to Dublin city centre, we’ll live homeless in Dublin city centre,” he said, adding that this was “better than here” because they felt they were “not accepting us here”.

He said that initially there had been 34 men in the three holiday homes, with bunk beds provided for them.

“I want to live here, yes, (it’s) lovely here but (there’s a) problem with people, maybe.”

He said he’d walk to Ennis from the hotel and travel on to Dublin city centre.

Minister of State for Community Development Joe O’Brien said the hotel did not have a fire safety certificate but there was no issue with fire safety or wastewater management at the holiday homes.

“I just ask people to step down the blockade, I think it is done on the basis of a misunderstanding of what’s happened.”

O’Brien said there is ongoing work at the hotel and people would not be accommodated there until it is safe.

embedded272189862 A silage bale used to block the entrance to asylum seeker accommodation Niall Carson / PA Niall Carson / PA / PA

He said there are 500 asylum seekers without accommodation and the government was “looking at every possible angle and every possible case”.

On concerns about the isolated location of the holiday homes, O’Brien told RTE’s Today with Claire Byrne that a shuttle bus would be provided to Ennis for asylum seekers who wanted to access services there.

Sultan Muhammad, from Afghanistan, said he came to Ireland five months ago and had been staying in Citywest in Dublin.

He described the situation Co Clare in “difficult” but said the accommodation was “okay”.

“We are feeling good here. I like this place.”

He added: “I like it, I will live here.”

Government committed 

The Department of Justice said in a statement that demand for accommodation for adult male international protection applicants currently outstrips supply.

“There is an urgent need to accommodate those people seeking protection who are homeless or at risk of homelessness,” it said.

“Properties such as Magowna House and others throughout the country are fundamental to the accommodation of vulnerable people.

“The Department has considered all offers of accommodation made to it. It is availing of office buildings, decommissioned Defence Forces barracks and tents to try to address the shortfall.

“While peaceful protest for communities is a right, international protection applicants also have a right to live peacefully in what is essentially their new home in Ireland while their application is being assessed by the Department of Justice.”

With reporting from PA, Lauren Boland, Jamie McCarron and Diarmuid Pepper

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65 Comments
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    Mute Peter Wiggin
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    May 16th 2023, 9:30 AM

    Baseline accommodation? The state are showing themselves pretty comfortable with shanty towns and tent cities for these people, and dismiss anyone who objects as those dreaded “far-right.” And now I see the hotbed of far-activity has rapidly shifted from the Pearse St flats to small holding farms in rural Co. Clare. Ironically, the “far-right”, as defined by government, might quite soon qualify as the most diverse section of Irish society.

    2408
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    Mute Sean McCarthy
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    May 16th 2023, 9:49 AM

    @Peter Wiggin: I said something similar about this years ago when they were moving a relatively large number of refugees into a small west of Ireland town. People had genuine and sincere concerns then, just like people do now and they were dismissed out of hand as being racist and xenophobic. Not having a debate on these things only leads to conflict. Before anyone puts words in my mouth I condemn any violence and intimidation against refugees seen recently.

    1670
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    Mute GERARD KENNELLY
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    May 16th 2023, 10:21 AM

    @Sean McCarthy:

    the irish are famous for living abroad working abroad but when people come here they are told F off

    556
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 10:31 AM

    @Steve Bell: Wow, you hit a lot the required talking points there.

    “economic tourists”
    “parasites”
    “re-planted”
    “minority in our own country”.

    But you’re not Far-Right, right? Just a “concerned” citizen, yeah?

    241
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    Mute Steve Bell
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    May 16th 2023, 10:43 AM

    @Tricia G: NGO Tricia? How many are you housing yourself there ?

    768
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    Mute Chutes
    Favourite Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:43 AM

    @Peter Wiggin: The same old familiars popping up with roughly the same arguments in a lot of the comments sections. These arguments could be commonly referred to fairly as ‘tropes’ as I categorise them at least.

    Curiouser and curiouser lol.

    58
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    Mute west awake
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    May 16th 2023, 10:44 AM

    @Tricia G: Oh, come off it Maddie.

    195
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    Mute west awake
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    May 16th 2023, 10:47 AM

    @Tricia G: I’m going to ask you once again, do you think the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children was “worth it”?
    Your refusal to answer this says an awful lot about you.

    270
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 10:54 AM

    @west awake: Why do you believe I need to justify or defend the words of the author of a book I read?

    Why do you think I would ever defend the deaths of children?

    Do you feel responsible for the words and opinions of all the people you’ve read in the past? Or do you just not read?

    I understand you’re trying to derail my points by deflecting to the fact I read a book. It’s pretty obvious. And it’s obvious to everyone else too. And I don’t doubt this will be your go to “gotcha” going forward.

    I read a book. You should try it sometime.

    122
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 10:55 AM

    @west awake: “do you think the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children was “worth it”?” – No.

    Obviously.

    70
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    Mute Gerry Murphy
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    May 16th 2023, 10:12 AM

    The people are scared of having 69 men who nobody knows anything about dumped in their community.

    2083
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:24 AM

    @Gerry Murphy: If I move to a given Irish community, no-one knows anything about me. Is that all that needs to qualify me now to scare the host community?

    Try adding ‘host’ to ‘community’! Céad mile fáilte eh?

    299
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    Mute GERARD KENNELLY
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    May 16th 2023, 10:26 AM

    @Gerry Murphy:

    clare co kerry
    same county where people queued up and shook hands with a sex offender

    257
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:50 AM

    @GERARD KENNELLY: W*F has that got to do with anything?

    192
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    Mute Tim Higgins
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    May 16th 2023, 9:36 AM

    And what of our own homeless? Still nothing I presume.

    1640
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    Mute GERARD KENNELLY
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    May 16th 2023, 10:22 AM

    @Tim Higgins:

    saving our own homeless wont score any PC points

    903
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    Mute eoin fitzpatrick
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    May 16th 2023, 10:31 AM

    @Tim Higgins: aren’t our own homeless being housed in hotels etc. too and are on housing waiting lists? last survey I can recall there were 91 people sleeping on the streets of Dublin, but there was accommodation available for them all to sleep in if they wanted it.

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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:44 AM

    @Tim Higgins: What are you doing for them?

    86
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    Mute west awake
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    May 16th 2023, 10:51 AM

    @Tim Higgins: “our own homeless”?
    That’s so far right.

    163
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    Mute Anonymous User
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    May 16th 2023, 9:40 AM

    This article is open for comments? I am amazed, probably an error that will be corrected soon knowing the Journal.

    1073
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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    May 16th 2023, 10:13 AM

    How does questioning the Governments decision to allowing unlimited entry into Ireland by people seeking refuge from war as well as economic ones, and nowhere to house them, make one an extreme right wing activist?

    I would think that title would have been given to those who sent their condolences to the German people at the end of the “Emergency” for the death of their leader. That would have been pretty well right. Question a decision can be called a discussion.

    The vast majority or people are against any form of violence.

    943
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:19 AM

    @George Vladisavljevic: Are you questioning the “entry into Ireland by people seeking refuge from war” bit, the “as well as economic ones” bit or the “nowhere to house them”.

    Let’s try not to conflate the three. Where shall we begin our “discussion” George?

    87
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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    May 16th 2023, 10:33 AM

    @Chutes: Not talking about limiting, especially for war. One also has to look into how long it takes to process those who do not fit the definition.

    They have still not figured out how to stop people arriving without documentation. There is no way in hell that one would get onto a flight from the UK, for example, with out a passport. Take a photo copy of the passport before people board flights and give it to the crew in case one loses their passport on the plane. Hand it over the immigration who can destroy the documents if not needed. Simple solution.

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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:49 AM

    @George Vladisavljevic: How exactly is that “Not talking about limiting”?

    You adhere pretty closely to my definition of limiting.

    14
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:52 AM

    @George Vladisavljevic: Can we focus on my original question to you George, try not to lose focus m8!

    15
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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    May 16th 2023, 10:52 AM

    @Chutes: You are entitled to your opinion.

    127
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    Mute Keth Tgi
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    May 16th 2023, 10:20 AM

    I’d almost agree with government moves, but given that there’s little or no processing to be seen (differnciating true asylum seekers from economic migrants), but I, and I would say most people don’t see this. They see numbers coming in, but next to nothing going out. If the out-going processing is as ad-hoc as the incoming one…well. also 30 to 69 foreign males turning up in a small rural town? Vetting?

    529
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    Mute Keth Tgi
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    May 16th 2023, 10:36 AM

    May I kindly enquire: when was there a report or story last detailing minutely the outgoing numbers of failed asylum.seekers returned to their country of origin, in the media? And this compared to the incoming numbers.? What are the stats? Or is this information in the same box as the 10pm cut-off for purchasing alcohol – we the tax paying public are children and will be treated as such. And no, I don’t want a link to a Gov.ie page – I desire that information to come to me. To true refugees: I’m sorry for your plight, and apologise for Ireland’s ad-hoc treatment.

    360
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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    May 16th 2023, 9:33 AM

    Iam absolutely in favour of people’s right to protest. But attacking refugees is cowardly

    461
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 9:53 AM

    @Robert Halvey: And criminal.

    The incitement by certain people is downright criminal. Someone is going to be seriously injured or killed.

    246
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    Mute ibrahim Sudane
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    May 16th 2023, 10:09 AM

    Don’t blame asylum , blame the pushed politicians,courrputted government.
    US pushed allover EU countries to accept thousands of Ukrainian, how many US accepted?

    337
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    Mute GERARD KENNELLY
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    May 16th 2023, 10:29 AM

    @ibrahim Sudane:

    you wont see any refugees living next door to politicians

    698
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    Mute Barbara Coleman
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    May 16th 2023, 10:34 AM

    @ibrahim Sudane: no rush I notice to take Syrian & Afgan refugees who are in a far worse situation !

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    Mute eoin fitzpatrick
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    May 16th 2023, 10:34 AM

    @GERARD KENNELLY: Enda Kenny’s Dublin apartment is meters from the camp that was burned out the other day. Does that count?

    57
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    Mute Keth Tgi
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    May 16th 2023, 10:48 AM

    @Tricia G: There’s really no sense or pleasantries in getting personal when rounding on another pov. Said pov’s maybe made by one but are representative of many. Also, if everyone who stands up for themselves, their children, their carpark space or community where judged, then at some point we could all be called fascist in the minds of the idealistic feeble-thinking.

    256
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 9:52 AM

    The people organising these “protests” are grifters.

    And it’s a well known Far-Right ploy.

    They latch on to legitimate worries that people have and use lies and fear to ramp up the rhetoric for their own ends.

    It is literally their job to seek out “issues” they can twist and escalate, and then they ask for “donations” to help their cause.

    Don’t fall for their grift.

    256
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    May 16th 2023, 9:59 AM

    @Tricia G: I think you are stretching things a bit Tricia. Can ordinary folk not have a say in this matter? Can they not voice their concerns for the local population and also for the refugees themselves?
    There doesn’t seem to be any plan in place to assist the refugees. The local population are not notified before the refugees are moved to those locations. It’s simply all wrong and I am sick to the back teeth of those Irish people voicing their concerns being labeled as “grifters” or “nazis” or “racists” etc.

    1321
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    Mute Tricia G
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    May 16th 2023, 10:04 AM

    @David Corrigan: No, I’m not “stretching” it a bit.

    It’s all the same people as well you know. The exact same people show up, with the same spiel and then the same begging bowl.

    As I pointed out, there may be legitimate concerns but once the Far Right become involved those concerns take on a particularly racist and xenophobic and invariably violent bent.

    If you’re marching with the Far Right, you ARE the Far Right.

    You don’t to disassociate yourself from their rhetoric, they need you to march with them to give them legitimacy.

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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:12 AM

    @David Corrigan: Are these concerns legitimate or just an expression of fear, conservatism and ignorance though?

    38
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    May 16th 2023, 10:36 AM

    @Tricia G: To be honest with you I have no idea what you are trying to say here. The majority of people with concerns are just ordinary everyday folk who have an interest in whats going on in their locality and their country.

    You speak of this far right movement like it’s a secret powerful force amongst us. That’s simply not true. A handful of anonymous gits posting rubbish on this platform does not represent the majority or this massive far right organisation you speak of.

    514
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    May 16th 2023, 10:37 AM

    @Chutes: I would say legitimate. If those refugees are being placed in run down kips in towns and villages with poor resources, should we not voice our concern on their behalf? It’s not fair on them or the local services.

    267
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:55 AM

    @David Corrigan: I imagine as human beings they will be more than capable of voicing their own, very real concerns. I doubt they need you to translate or speak for them in any way.

    You are voicing YOUR concerns David, don’t try to prettify it now, it’s still a pig!

    46
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    Mute francis devenney
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    May 16th 2023, 10:21 AM

    @David Corrigan: What amuses me is the amount of posters on here who push the weak minded,fearful far right rhetoric, that have a cniption when they’re called far right. It seems they embarrassed by their own position.

    106
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    Mute Peter Wiggin
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    May 16th 2023, 10:31 AM

    @francis devenney: you think calling people names because they disagree with you elevates you above the weak minded?

    416
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    Mute francis devenney
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    May 16th 2023, 10:41 AM

    @Peter Wiggin: It was the rhetoric I called weak minded. What else would you call letting others tell you what to be scared of or angry about.?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    May 16th 2023, 10:47 AM

    @francis devenney: It’s up to us strong minded people to push things back then Francis. People are sick and tired of being told what to think or being accussed of being something they are not.
    Personally, I have no time for those characters with the RTE accents parading around with 3 meter scarves wrapped around their thin necks looking for things to offend them. They need to be put back in their place everytime they stick their hooter out.

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    Mute Anne Busher Collins
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    May 16th 2023, 10:19 AM

    They only protest when the proplr involved have brown or black faces.

    91
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    Mute Chutes
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    May 16th 2023, 10:36 AM

    @Peter Wiggin: Did you read that in a book, is it it widely available? Is it like a handbook or more of a manifesto or something else interesting?

    You should really credit the author but I’m just nitpicking.

    61
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    Mute tk
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    May 16th 2023, 10:37 AM

    Anti refugee groups won’t ever sit in the Irish government, they are completely irrelevant, I really wouldn’t bother worrying about them.

    64
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