‘I’m shocked to hear people using the N-word’ – politicians alarmed by rising rhetoric and abuse during their moves

Campaigning for the next local and European elections, they have noticed that the theme of migration has come up more often in recent weeks.

Many TDs have said they avoid speaking publicly about housing in their constituencies being designated as housing because of the high amount of abuse they face in return.

And a government party senator told how he was surrounded by angry protesters outside a proposed accommodation site for asylum seekers in his constituency.

The senator said he “felt vulnerable” – and wondered “how am I going to get out of here?” “.

Protesters filmed the politician on their phones, called him a traitor and the crowd was “pissed off”.

“It was scary. It was the first time I feared for my life,” he said.

The politician is reluctant to speak on the record because he believes public comments would only be a “lightning rod” for further abuse, adding: “I don’t want to put my head above the parapet.”

It’s a sentiment increasingly shared by politicians in Leinster House, both in opposition and in government.

“When I spoke previously I was completely torched,” said one TD.

There has also been a significant increase in the number of voters expressing concerns about the government’s immigration policy.

Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe said he had seen voters who would normally be in middle ground repeating their concerns “directly” on social media.

“There has been a political reluctance to talk about our refugee system on social media,” he said. “This has left a real void on social media platforms. You instantly find yourself involved in a slew of extremist accounts that would never have voted for you and often come from other parts of the world.

“So most politicians haven’t said much publicly about it. It comes through the doors. I have heard people repeating things that are not good, but that comes directly from social media (videos).

Politicians also feared being seen as racist if they raised concerns, the Dublin TD said.

“Let’s not be under any illusions, there are a small number of people who are not raising real concerns. I was shocked by people using the ‘N-word’ on doors,” he said.

Mr McAuliffe said Fianna Fáil voters came from all walks of life and warned politicians could not “stand by, we have to get stuck in and lead the debate”.

He believes the use of emergency planning laws to turn hotels into migrant accommodation should stop.

“Communities have the right to comment on the development of their region. They don’t have a veto, but if we don’t give people any process to participate in, that’s another reason for them to listen to the extremes of the debate,” he said.

However, Labor councilor Darragh Moriarty said he had knocked on around 10,000 doors during his canvassing but migration was rare.

He told how he met a “helmet” who was “racist and Islamophobic”.

“That’s one experiment out of 10,000 doors – so overwhelmingly it’s about housing, how we’re going to house people,” he said.

Sinn Féin has significantly increased its canvassing in recent months. Since September, one party source estimates activists have knocked on up to 25,000 doors in one Dublin Dáil constituency.

Migration appears on about 10% of doors, with a “very, very small” number of people “vehemently” opposing it.

“These are generally (people) not registered on the electoral lists or non-voters,” said a source.

Sinn Féin believes that migration is not an issue that will solely dictate the votes of the people, but is an issue of “public concern”. “It comes up in every consultation, absolutely,” said one TD.

Politically, immigration has become a hot topic in Leinster House. The mood at last week’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary meeting was described as “very gloomy”. Migration was one of the main topics of discussion.

“Everyone expressed deep reservations and feared that the situation was out of control,” said a politician present at the meeting.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin reportedly told colleagues that the party would face significant challenges on migration in the future. He said more should have been done to support communities.

A minister told how a Nigerian woman, who has lived in Ireland for many years and holds an Irish passport, attended one of her constituency clinics at a local ward. As she was leaving, the minister noticed people in the queue looking at her up and down.

“I could see the look on the regular punters’ faces as she came out. I told them she had lived here for a long time and had an Irish passport,” the minister said. “But you can see how people take all this. It is a big challenge for the government.