'After the Dublin riots I am afraid to leave my home'
Rioters clashing with gardaí in Dublin on Thursday. Immigrants, all of us, were blamed for the Dublin knife attack, which gave some people an excuse to riot and intimidate. The violence stems from anti-immigrant rhetoric. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
It's the fear.
Fear to leave my house, fear to walk down the street, to go out for a cup of coffee, to be outside. If Thursday's riots did anything, it was put that fear in me.
I moved to Ireland in 2019 from Bahrain to study and get a degree. Ireland, in my opinion, looked safe, looked like a place where I could forge a new life and follow my dream of becoming a journalist.
I felt safe here. I was away from the oppression and violence back home.
I pay taxes here, pay my bills, and do everything by the book, just like any other individual. All I want is to work and contribute to society.
I’ve integrated into Irish society and developed a fairly thick Cork accent. I want to become a part of a country that is full of culture, beauty, and love.
On Thursday, news emerged of the horrific knife attack in which three children and a woman were injured.
Amid the understandable revulsion at what had happened, anti-immigrant groups quickly began spreading hate-filled messages about all foreign nationals. Things quickly accelerated, leading to the riots which saw buses, a Luas tram, and garda cars set on fire.
Immigrants became the focus of the crowd’s anger on the streets, while at the same time they looted and vandalised shops. It was an excuse for the riots that ensued.
However, Thursday was not the beginning of this. Online content from people advocating violence against migrants has been consistent and growing for months, it not years.
Offline we have seen plenty of anti-immigrant rhetoric too - hotels that were supposedly meant to house asylum seekers have been set on fire, hate mail has been sent to people and blockades set up.
Now, I feel different. My senses are heightened and I am afraid to leave my home – some of my migrant friends have expressed these same fears.
I am now afraid to leave my house and go get a coffee by myself, I am afraid to go for a walk and have my headphones in for fear that I will get attacked.
I do not want this fear, this fear that has been created because migrants have been made scapegoats by the far-right for the failings in addressing the issues that our society is facing.
What if the hate-filled riots in Dublin spread elsewhere in the country? Action needs to be taken and there needs to be some accountability for what is happening here.
All that I am asking for is peace of mind where I can feel safe to walk down the street to my local shop and not have to peer over my shoulder for someone following me, waiting to come after me.
