A man working in a Limerick refugee centre claims that staff have been subjected to physical attacks and mental abuse by individuals and gangs of radical Muslim men living in the centre.
The man, who has asked to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisals, is of Middle Eastern origin and has been living in Ireland for nearly a decade.
He told the Limerick Post that management at the centre are frightened to take any action because there are no security officers on the premises, and they are afraid that the radicals will be backed up by other asylum seekers who have cheated the direct provision system.
The man, who asked to be referred to as ‘Ivan’ says he approached The Limerick Post because he felt that people needed to made aware of what he describes as “a worsening situation”.
“I have dealt with these people personally and have had a lot of conversations with them in relation to their personal life, social life and religious beliefs. In some of them I have found a worrying level of extremism, bordering on hatred, which could potentially manifest in some sort of devastating way, as their numbers will continue to rise”.
“I don’t have a problem with their religion or the background they come from, but we need to face facts. There are cheaters in the direct provisional system getting protection and privileges that they don’t deserve and that should be a big concern. Obviously not everyone who has immigrated to Ireland can be painted with the same brush, but we must be careful of the wolves among the sheep”.
‘Ivan’ claims all direct provisional centres in Limerick are full, and in some cases beyond capacity, as a result of he EU migrant crisis and the new immigration policy in the UK.
“I have come to understand that the goings on in direct provisional centres are quite different from what mass media and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are reporting.
“Radical minded economic migrants, who are mostly students and workers, have filled up a large number of vacancies within the direct provisional system”.
‘Ivan’ says that many have breached their UK visa conditions and taken advantage of the open border from Northern Ireland.
“In August 2015, a man from Pakistan named Mian Shaid, who was convicted of two counts of sexual assault of an 18 year old girl at Stafford Crown Court in Scotland four months earlier, came to Ireland. He was fed, given protection and social allowance in one of the direct provisional hostels in Limerick prior to his arrest and deportation.
“I don’t have a vendetta against migrants, as I have dedicated a large part of my working life to helping those in need in direct provisional centres but I have seen people cheat the reception and interrogation agencies with their false stories.
“Not everyone does this but there are a worrying number of people who dive into the asylum system and get all the privileges that go with it. I have seen people in direct provisional systems with free medical cards, not having to pay a government levy of €2.50 for medicines.
“I have no doubt that many are in need of this, but I have come across people who visit GP’s for silly things such as blisters around their nails, and take advantage of what I believe is a system with many flaws”.
‘Ivan’ maintains that the Department of Justice is aware that many migrants who cheat the system in Ireland have arrived from the UK.
“Why haven’t they taken any measures to deport them back to the country where they first came from? A ‘no nonsense’ stance from the Irish government will see the people who need asylum the most afforded the opportunity.
“So many hardworking taxpayers, including myself, have been the victim of physical attacks and mental abuse by both individuals and gangs of radical Muslim men living in the centre to the point where I have decided to quit the job”.
“The management of the centre are scared to take any action because of no security on the premises, and there is also the fear that these asylum seekers will be backed up as they are the ones that have already cheated the system into thinking they are the victims.
“If any action is taken against these radical culprits, NGOs and anti-racist groups back them up with protection they don’t deserve. They give the same statement that these people have fled a traumatic situation in their own countries and that we should treat them with respect, give them protection and provide them with more rights than some full Irish citizens don’t even have”.
According to ‘Ivan’, we have very few Syrians in the centres; “Many of our direct provision system inhabitants are not from war torn countries, and have previously resided, worked and studied in other European countries”.
“I find the people of Limerick to be very accommodating and friendly for the most part, and feel that it is my duty to bring this situation to light”, he said.