At a conference hosted on 20 October by the Jesuit Refugee Service in Dublin, speakers warned that negative public discourse and online misinformation are eroding support for Ireland’s asylum system. Fr Martin Curry SJ said the tone of local-community protests has shifted “from ‘not-in-my-back-yard’ to outright dehumanisation”. The event presented new survey data showing that 41 percent of respondents believe the number of asylum seekers arriving has “doubled” in 2026, when in fact applications have risen only 7 percent year-on-year. Social-media analysis by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found coordinated sharing of false claims linking refugees to housing shortages. NGOs urged the Government to accelerate the promised transition away from Direct Provision, now scheduled for mid-2027, and to fund community-dialogue programmes modelled on those used during the Syrian resettlement scheme. For employers, the climate matters: corporate relocation packages often rely on community goodwill and available housing stock—both can suffer if anti-immigration sentiment escalates. Some multinationals are already running “myth-busting” workshops for staff seconded to regional sites. The conference concluded with a call for politicians to adopt a “facts-first” communications charter during election season, warning that asylum has become a proxy issue for broader social frustrations.
Source: Jesuits Ireland
