MINISTER FOR HOUSING Darragh O’Brien has condemned an “obvious attempt at sowing discontent through disinformation” after hoax leaflets, claiming to be distributed by his Fianna Fáil supporters, were distributed in the Malahide area of Dublin.
The leaflet, which mirrors other anti-immigrant campaigns, says that O’Brien hopes for 200,000 refugee arrivals in 2023, and implored locals to offer them spare rooms, granny flats, or community halls.
There are no official figures which suggest that Ireland could take in 200,000 refugees in 2023, and the figure would be significantly more than have arrived in Ireland in any previous year.
The latest leaflet purports to be a message from Darragh O’Brien, and bears a Fianna Fáil banner and logo. It reads, in part: “We hope for 200,000 arrivals in 2023 but we have a shortfall of nice homes for them.”
It goes on to say: “We’d love to make Malahide more multicultural and become a lighthouse of hope for the less fortunate” – phrases that echoes discussions in anti-immigrant groups, which often claim that affluent areas don’t take in refugees or that asylum seekers are given luxurious accommodation, and which use terms like “multicultural” as if they were slurs.
The leaflet ends with: “Yours in diversity, Darragh”.
However, O’Brien said on social media it was “quite clear someone went to great lengths [to] draft, print and circulate these”.
“At its core, disinformation like this seeks to cause tension in an area,” O’Brien said.
“The people of Malahide have proven themselves to be welcoming, in fact #Fingal is one of the youngest, fastest growing & most diverse areas in Ireland. A place I’m proud to represent.”
The minister added: “The ‘Offer a Home’ [initiative] established in Nov last year & supported by @DeptHousingIRL has seen some 1,400 properties allocated to 4,290 Ukrainian displaced persons to date. It’s the legitimate avenue for anyone wishing to offer accommodation.”
Previous anti-immigration disinformation campaigns have also distributed material pretending to be from the government, including a leaflet telling Irish “girls” to stay indoors after 6pm due to “new arrivals” last year.
A similar tactic was also used when pandemic restrictions were in force, including fake HSE signs asking people to report their neighbours to the authorities for not wearing a mask.
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