Doochary community tell ‘agitators’ to stay away

A west Donegal village has moved to distance itself from “agitators” that residents believe are trying to cause “upset and division”.

The residents of Doochary made their feelings known through community development group Coist Forbartha na nDúcharadh in the wake of what they described as “right-wing tensions”. They also stressed their interest in keeping “the village safe”.

“We the residents of Doochary village work hard to make our quiet and harmonious home a better place,” they said.

 “It is composed of people from many diverse backgrounds, cultures and differing faiths but yet, we work together to try and make our wee village a better and safer place for our families, our children and grandchildren and visitors alike. We strongly oppose any attempt of agitators from outside to come in and cause upset and division - for their own benefit and self-interest.”

“They have and will contribute nothing to the betterment of our lives, and community - in fact, the opposite. Our village is full of history and is so beautiful. We have one wee shop, pub, chapel and school which we cherish. We remain committed to keeping our village a safe and welcoming place.” 

Independent Councillor Micheál Mac Giolla Easbuig has backed the statement and has queried what the real agenda is. Whilst understanding people’s concerns, he says it is important for information to be factual. 

“I absolutely welcome the statement from Coist Forbartha na nDúcharadh,” he said. “The community have clearly said they don’t want people coming into the community to cause division. It’s a diverse community, with different nationalities, and different religions. It’s a community that has worked really hard. A community that has been neglected by government policy for many years. 

“There are agitators that are coming into our community, trying to create fear, hate, giving out deliberate misinformation and we have to look at why that is. 

“What is driving this hatred? What is the agenda? What is their goal and who are they working with, or working for? Working class unity is hugely important and I know that not everybody who has concerns are rascist. 

“They’re not far-right and we need to hear that and we need to give factual answers. We have to give the source of that information. What’s happening is, in any of the research done, is that there is a huge amount of misinformation given and put out there. It is turning people against each other. It’s becoming them and us. 

“Who is that benefitting? I fully appreciate the anger because I feel it too. We have a housing crisis that has been deliberately created to benefit the very wealthy and the political establishment. We see people without homes and people homeless. We see people working two or three jobs, sometimes more on low wages. Why is there a government policy that allow that? 

“We see our youth, in their thousands, emigrating. Families are waiting for their children to turn 18 and know that they will leave. People who have worked all their lives and find themselves in middle age have to leave to try to pay off mortgages. 

“People are struggling to pay mortgages and car loans, while we have seen bankers who created the problem being bailed out and looked at and supported by the political classes. 

“Our enemies are not those who we don’t know yet. Our enemies are those who create refugees, those who create other people to seek safety and shelter in far other countries. 

“Our enemies are those very wealthy who exploit or labour. When families leave their homes in the morning to go to work and come home late for very little return and not get to spend enough time with each other and their children, are constantly exhausted, they have a right to be angry.

“But to show anger at those who want to better their lives or seek safety and shelter, it is not them who is our enemy. Our enemy of those who push an economic ideology that leaves us where we are - the political parties that support austerity, in the interest of making wealthy people wealthier. The division in society in terms of the wealthy and the poor is widening. The filthy rich are extremely rich and getting richer.

“We are seen as a tool to make wealthy people wealthier so that we don’t unite and look to create a better society, a better economic system that benefits all. They must have the working classes divided and at each other, about someone’s skin colour, or sexual orientation or what other country we come from, while we watch our own living in countries abroad, while people in those countries are thinking the same about our children. 

“I’m calling on all political parties and elected representatives to stop being silent and to stand on the right side of history on this. Do not let the haters make us become haters”.

Independent TD for Donegal Thomas Pringle credited communities across Donegal that have rallied against acts of violence and hate toward people seeking asylum.

“The only thing these people care about is spreading hate and igniting violence,” Deputy Pringle told the Dáil. 

“The justification for their actions is in a community’s interest are disgraceful and disingenuous, because the people burning down local buildings are not the same people as those involved in the tidy towns, or community council meetings each week. They are not the same people as those packing bags or standing with collection buckets for local clubs or charities.

“And they are certainly not the same people as those running local support groups, youth groups, community kitchens, food banks or parish quizzes. Many are not even from the communities they seek to divide, and to claim that they are acting for the good of that community, while they undo the work of many great and genuine community workers, is nothing but an insult.”