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More arrests likely following New Year’s day brawl

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By Sean Moriarty

Seven of the eight men arrested following a mass brawl on New Year’s day have been moved to other Direct Provision centres in four different parts of Ireland.

Up to 20 men which included four to five Algerians, and between 10 and 15 Georgians - were involved in the melee at Hotel Killarney on Park Road which is currently being used to house up to 400 International Protection applicants.

The incident happened about 8.30pm on New Year’s night.

Several gardai and up to six ambulances were deployed to the scene. Four people in the hotel were taken to hospital after suffering non-life-threatening injuries in the incident. Two were taken to a Cork hospital while the others were taken to University Hospital Kerry and Gardai confirmed that they have since been released.

Six men were arrested on Monday concerning the incident and were held in Tralee and Killarney Garda Stations ahead of court appearances this week.

Two more men were arrested on Tuesday and also appeared in court this week.

Following the court appearances seven of the men were bailed and have been transferred to other Direct Provision centres in Cork, Clare, Laois and Louth.

They have been ordered to stay away from Killarney unless attending official appointments like court sittings or solicitor's meetings.

The eighth man, who is alleged to have brandished a weapon during the fracas, remains in custody after being charged under the Public Order Act and the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act.

Killarney Gardai confirmed to the Killarney Advertiser that the incident is still under investigation. A spokesperson confirmed that up 20 people were involved in the incident.

“Further arrests are likely to be made in relation to this case,” the spokesperson told the Killarney Advertiser.

A spokesperson for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Killarney Advertiser that Ireland is now accommodating over 71,255 people throughout the country, between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants.

"The government fully understands the concerns in relation to the incident in Killarney. This is now a matter for An Garda Síochána and it is not appropriate to comment on a live investigation. Since the incident occurred, the International Protection Accommodation Service has engaged and continues to engage with the staff and residents of the centre in order to ensure that all necessary supports are being provided.

"Government is continuing to explore a wide range of options to address the accommodation needs of the high numbers who are seeking protection here. Several strands of activity are underway, aside from hotel accommodation, to maximise a range of alternative options, including roll-out of a rapid-build housing programme."

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Fossa School says ‘bonjour’ to French classes

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Fossa National School is giving its pupils a headstart in learning a new language.

The school signed up to Language Sampler scheme as part of the ‘Say Yes to Languages’ initiative in primary schools organised by Post Primary languages Ireland in 2021. This is the school’s third year running the module.

Hélène Olivier-Courtney, the school’s French teacher and director of French For All Killarney School of French, covers ten schools in Kerry over the three terms.

The success of the initiative relies on an all-school approach and the active involvement of class teachers and management.

“The whole staff in Fossa certainly helped make this new journey a special and enjoyable experience for the children as we learnt French through art, songs, games and food tasting! This year, we also organised a catwalk on our last day. Our sixth-class students will have such a head start before secondary school and most importantly will have develop curiosity interest and love for the language,” said Hélène.

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Opinion: Silent majority needs to stand up and call out far-right hate

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By Chris Davies

Last Friday’s Dublin Riots should not have come as a surprise to anyone. It has been bubbling under the surface of Irish society for a good number of years now. The actions of a small minority last week was a culmination of years of racism, hatred and misinformation shared online by far-right groups.

Late on Friday night a disturbing WhatsApp voice note was doing the rounds on social media where a far-right actor could clearly be heard encouraging violence on the streets of Dublin. 

“’Seven o’clock, be in town. Everyone bally up, tool up…Any foreigner, just kill them”

Watching the Riots unfold on social media brought me back to when I was working in Dublin a number of years back. My morning commute from Skerries to the city centre involved a dart to Connolly Station followed by a short trip on the Luas to the Jervis. Every week, without fail, I would witness at least one racial slur or attack on someone who didn’t fit the narrow minded view of what an Irish person should look, dress or talk like. I don’t know if it is the eerie silence of public transport that seems to amplify the situation, but that’s where I found it to be most common. The abuse was usually perpetrated by a group of youths or someone who was clearly under the influence of drink or drugs. The victims were always of colour, often dressed smartly enough to presume they were on their way, or coming from work. A far cry from the perpetrators who you could tell were roaming aimlessly around the city looking for trouble.

While shameful to admit, I would often look on and watch the abuse unfold, only to spend the rest of my work day thinking about the poor person who was told to “F*&K off back to your own country”. I would sit at my desk questioning why I didn’t step in and say something. There were one or two occasions where I did step in and call it out, but not nearly often enough.  

This disgusting behaviour is much more visible in our cities. Since moving back to Killarney I wouldn’t witness as much direct abuse on the streets but working with the Killarney Advertiser I would be tuned in to local news and some of the comments I read on our social platforms are far worse than anything I witnessed during my time in Dublin.  

There is a significant group of people in Ireland that I would call the ‘silent majority’. We are not as outspoken on issues we care about. We tend to observe and consume the news quietly, and only speak of our support or disgust on certain issues in close circles, too afraid we might offend someone. The problem with this is that we are leaving these far-right groups unchallenged, to become louder, more aggressive and more hostile as seen last week. 

The past week Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats have been busy in the media expressing no confidence in Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris but I would suggest that there is a large percentage of the Irish population that bears some of the responsibility. We witness racism in our communities and online every day and we need to start speaking up and calling it out. 

On the issue of immigration in Killarney, there is no doubt resources are being stretched and our tourism industry is suffering as a result of an influx of immigration. Locals have also raised concerns in relation to the placement of so many male international protection applicants in one setting and we only have to look back on the incident in Hotel Killarney last year where a number of men were involved in a harrowing stabbing incident to see how that played out.  

However, being concerned around immigration is not the same as anti-immigration. It is important to raise these issues with local representatives and Kerry TD’s but also to separate ourselves from far-right groups who are only interested in encouraging violence.  

The anarchy we witnessed last week should never be the answer and research shows it is completely unnecessary. Harvard University have looked at hundreds of protests over the last century, and found that non-violent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns and that it only takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.

Let’s continue to protest peacefully for issues we believe in, but stand up and speak out against people and movements in our community that incite hate and violence. 

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