A MULTICULTURAL event held this past weekend in Limerick City to showcase and celebrate all the cultural diversity the Treaty has to offer was a “beautiful” family fun day aimed at reassuring migrants that they are welcome here, organisers have said.
Organised by the Limerick Anti Racist Network, the ‘Limerick Says Welcome’ family fun day took place this past Saturday (August 10) on Harvey’s Quay, and featured music, fun, games, and cultural events for the young and young at heart.
Speaking to the Limerick Post after the event, Katla Thorhildardottir, from the Limerick Anti Racist Network, said that the day was a positive celebration for all involved.
“We met with a lot of migrants who said that recent turns of events had been frightening them. So this was a beautiful day to reassure them that most of us in Limerick are welcoming,” the Icelandic woman who has made Limerick her home told this newspaper.
Over 100 people from all different backgrounds attended the Limerick Says Welcome gathering, with the Limerick Anti Racist Network saying that it hopes to run more events like it in the future.
“We can’t wait to do it again and make it bigger and better,” Katla told the Limerick Post.
“There’s so many possibilities to throw these kind of like festivals, like we saw with Brazilian Day. Brazilian Day was so fantastic. And then Africa Day is also such a great event here in Limerick, it’s just so great to have this multicultural community and to celebrate it.”
Katla said that recent national anti-migrant sentiment has frightened migrants that she has met through her work, and that recent negative stereotypes around migrants have been hurtful.
“I think we, those who are migrants in Limerick, we notice it very well when there are people from here calling us all sorts of names and giving us ill intentions of wanting to migrate to Ireland. It is hurtful to see this dialog, even how they try to mask it, that they’re only against ‘certain kinds’ of migrants. It still affects us. And of course we feel a bit frightened,” Katla explained.
Katla said that “migrants of colour feel more threatened naturally, because there’s so much racism, especially people that are seeking asylum and refugees and international protection applicants in general. Of course, they feel frightened. There’s been so many violent situations around the country.”
The family event, held on a unseasonably sunny day on Shannonside, attracted families from all cultural backgrounds and featured live music, face painting, and even a ‘Mini Olympics’ run by local councillor Elisa O’Donvan.
