Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Refugee crisis: Posters debunking common rumours appear in Rathmines, Dublin

Roisin O'Connor
Thursday 01 October 2015 08:03 EDT
Comments
A poster is debunking seven common rumours around refugees
A poster is debunking seven common rumours around refugees (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Posters debunking seven widely-spread rumours about refugees are reportedly being put up around in an area of Dublin, Ireland

Emer Sugrue, a journalist at the Irish Times, posted a photo of one of the posters on Twitter which she said appeared in Rathmines.

Featuring the hashtag #refugeeswelcome, it reads: "You don’t want refugees here? Let’s debunk the rumours."

The seven debunked rumours are as follows:

1) “We don’t have space”

Debunk: “There are over 250,000 empty homes in the country”

2) “What about our own?”

Debunk: “1 in 6 people born in Ireland live abroad; the world looks after ‘our own’. GO FIGURE…”

3) “They’re not real refugees; They have smartphones

Debunk: “Fleeing persecution, not poverty”

4) “Can’t they go somewhere else?”

Debunk: “Turkey: 1.8m Lebanon: 1.2m Jordan: 600k. THEY DO.”

5) “Refugees = Isis”

Debunk: “Isis? In a dinghy? You must be joking! They’d fly – with forged papers”

6) “Why are there so many men?”

Debunk: “They risk the journey first to pay for their families safe journey later”

7) “Providing rescue attracts more refugees”

Debunk: “They must and will flee – whether we help or not”

The poster ends with a quote by Warsan Shire: "No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land."

Last month it was announced that the Republic of Ireland would take in “at least” 1,800 refugees, trebling original plans to accept 600 refugees over the next two years.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in