Limerick Football Club are the latest organisation to pledge support for the call to end Direct Provision, the controversial system of accommodating asylum seekers in Ireland.
The system has been the centre of increased media attention in recent weeks, with repeated calls for its abolition coming from asylum-seeking residents and NGOs nationwide. The past month has seen protests in Direct Provision centres across the country, including a public day of action in Limerick city centre in August which saw over 200 people support the call to end the system of Direct Provision and close Mount Trenchard, a centre which has been described as one of the worst of the 34 centres nationwide.
Following increased demands for an end to the system, Limerick Football Club contacted Doras Luimní, the Limerick-based human rights and migrant support organisation, to pledge the club’s support for the cause.
Club chairman Pat O’Sullivan said “Limerick FC are fully supportive of the work carried out by Doras Luimní and particularly their call for an end to Direct Provision. Football is the truly global sport and we, as the regions only professional club are committed to using the sport as a tool to break down barriers on and off the pitch. We fully believe that Direct Provision in its current form runs against our club ethos of inclusion and acceptance for all, and the sooner an alternative solution for these families is found the better.
“Having had our home in Knockalisheen up to very recently, we made some great friends from within the community and we are delighted to be welcoming residents of Direct Provision centres in Limerick as guests to our game against Athlone Town”, he added.
Doras Luimní chief executive Karen McHugh, added “We are very grateful to have the support of Limerick FC, who are a very influential voice in Limerick and will be a great help in raising awareness on this issue among the general public. We are hoping that other organisations and businesses will follow their lead and join us in the call to finally bring an end the system of Direct Provision.”
“Thousands of men, women and children are suffering as a result of the Government’s policy of Direct Provision. Many have been living in these deplorable conditions for as long as ten years. Children have been born and raised in these centres, here in Limerick and nationwide. Now is the time for us to stand together and send a clear message to the decision-makers that enough is enough, this system has failed. There can be no more excuses.”
A number of interested individuals, organisations and residents of Direct Provision centres in Limerick have recently come together to form an action group – Limerick Against Direct Provision – to further progress the campaign to end Direct Provision and close Mount Trenchard centre in Foynes.
The Limerick Against Direct Provision group is seeking support from local organisations and businesses who may be in a position to assist with the campaign and publicly pledge their support for the call to end the system of Direct Provision.
