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Would you take in a refugee?

  • 01-09-2015 11:26PM
    #1
    Carry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,024 ✭✭✭


    Reading about the misery of refugees coming to Europe I've been thinking if I would take in some of the people, well, one or two, my house isn't big enough for many.

    Then I came across this initiative: http://www.refugees-welcome.net/

    as I found out here:

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/berlin-group-behind-airbnb-for-refugees-overwhelmed-by-offers-of-help

    and here:

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/icelanders-call-on-government-to-take-in-more-syrian-refugees

    These civic intitiatives in Germany and Iceland offer refugees to live in private homes, something I find very decent and honourable.

    I take in stray cats and dogs or at least I try to find a good home for them. Now why not doing it for fellow human beings?

    I know, it's more complicated, but considering that these people are desperate it would be the decent thing to do.

    I'm in two minds myself. On the one hand I'm a very private person, on the other hand I'm a child (or grandchild) of refugees myself and I know how it feels not to have proper roots - in the sense of having family and a family home at a place where all your ancestors used to live. Though I can't imagine not to have a home at all, nowhere to go and nothing to eat.

    I have a roof over my head, though, and a full fridge, which is more than most of the people in this world have, not to mention my laptop and Wi-Fi and a car and whatnot. I'm privileged this way, as are you, being able to read this.

    Would you take in a refugee? Would you organise an initiative as above?


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Comments

  • #2
    kneemos
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,605 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    Remarkable generosity in fairness.


  • #3
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    No for me, personally my home is my castle, I'd not ever want to share with anyone apart from my partner, I even find his children being here annoying.

    It is a very altruistic thing to do, but I do equally altruistic things in my own life.

    This would just not work for me personally


  • #4
    cowboyBuilder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭cowboyBuilder


    My bloody stupid hippy mother wants to take some in ... what an idiot, I'll have to try my best to talk her out of it.

    I mean your house is your house, and at the end of the day to let in strangers that could have any sort of history is crazy.

    My mam is a dopey 65 year old woman who thinks everyone has a heart of gold.


  • #5
    Mr_Muffin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 917 ✭✭✭Mr_Muffin


    The problem is you don't know who you are leaving into your house. Sure most people are fine but I don't want to wake up and find that all my valuables have decided to go for a walk.


  • #6
    cowboyBuilder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭cowboyBuilder


    Mr_Muffin wrote: »
    The problem is you don't me know who you are leaving into your house. Sure most people are fine but I don't want to wake up and find that all my valuables have decided to go for a walk.


    Yeah, or worse some ISIS lunatic ...


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  • #7
    joe swanson
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,124 ✭✭✭joe swanson


    Nope. Initiatives like that would likely encourage more of the mayhem currently been seen in parts of Europe.

    I don't blame these people. If I was in a similar situation I would probably try to get into Europe too.

    The fault lies solely with soft European governments and soft immigration policies.


  • #8
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I heard a few stories of people who took in German refugees after ww2, it worked out very for them in the end

    http://www.unhcr.ie/news/irish-story/coming-out-of-war-torn-germany-it-was-just-beautiful-a-refugees-journey-to

    1000 child refugees in 1940s Ireland btw


  • #9
    fleet_admiral
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,750 ✭✭✭fleet_admiral


    Id take in an Irish homeless person before a refugee.
    If that offends someone I dont care. Charity begins at home


  • #10
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    Happy to live on an island off an island these days, even if the weather is crap.


  • #11
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,199 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    Sure FGS they will rob you blind, get squatters rights, claim everything in sight, get yer wimmins wearing scarves, and all the rest of it.

    Why not prove this all wrong then. Everyone who advocates mass immigration should take them in so.

    I think I will wait until the mass immigrationists do it first though, and report back.

    That might offend their neighbours though, lol.


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  • #12
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,773 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I think we have got plenty of people sleeping rough on the streets which we should look to sort out. The refugees have the option of going anywhere, so it doesn't make any sense why they would end up in Ireland as the "first port of entry" to claim asylum.

    We have people following the rules in the application process to come to Ireland. These should be given priority ahead of illegal immigrants.


  • #13
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,060 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Possibly, it depends on the expected duration and country of origin.

    To be honest I think the effort has to be supporting neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Turkey etc that take the absolute majority of the refugees.


  • #14
    jimgoose
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,237 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    No.


  • #15
    eeguy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,399 ✭✭✭eeguy


    Wouldn't take them into the house, but I'd convert the garage into an apartment and house them there.

    I don't understand the hard hearts of people towards those who have nothing. The Irish have spread across the world during hard times and are still spreading, so why the bigotry when someone wants to immigrate here?


  • #16
    RDM_83 again
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,116 ✭✭✭RDM_83 again


    Mr_Muffin wrote: »
    The problem is you don't know who you are leaving into your house. Sure most people are fine but I don't want to wake up and find that all my valuables have decided to go for a walk.

    Aye even if they are completely genuine they could be extremely messed up by trauma.


  • #17
    Carry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,024 ✭✭✭Carry


    I understand it's not for everyone. That's fine.

    But the distrust here is a bit baffling - seeing refugees generally as a threat? They are human beings!

    Ah, well, I posted in AH :rolleyes:

    But please, can you look into your heart and say honestly you rather let these people live in misery and do nothing yourself?

    Is that the usual "not in my backyard"? You can't be that tribal, can you?


  • #18
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    biko wrote: »
    Possibly, it depends on the expected duration and country of origin.

    To be honest I think the effort has to be supporting neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Turkey etc that take the absolute majority of the refugees.

    Greece and Italy seem to be completely overwhelmed. It's not much mentioned in the news, but being between Libya and Italy, Malta also has a problem.


  • #19
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,060 ✭✭✭✭biko


    To be honest it's a brilliant idea.
    It makes sure refugees that do come here are assimilated into society immediately and not cooped up in some direct provision place with no social interaction.
    Also the host family cannot make money out of this. Living expenses only. Otherwise you'll get the same situation as in Sweden where business people are starting refugee camps and make millions out of this whole mess.
    Bertil Andersson, Swedish businessman, makes 100 000 euro a month on the refugee camps http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/han-tjanar-miljoner-pa-utsatta-flyktingar/


  • #20
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    eeguy wrote: »
    Wouldn't take them into the house, but I'd convert the garage into an apartment and house them there.

    I don't understand the hard hearts of people towards those who have nothing. The Irish have spread across the world during hard times and are still spreading, so why the bigotry when someone wants to immigrate here?
    Yep, Ireland as a society would not function if it couldn't blow off its excess unemployed with emigration, some of the attitudes I hear from people sicken me


  • #21
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    biko wrote: »
    To be honest it's a brilliant idea.
    It makes sure refugees that do come here are assimilated into society immediately and not cooped up in some direct provision place with no social interaction.
    Also the host family cannot make money out of this. Living expenses only. Otherwise you'll get the same situation as in Sweden where business people are starting refugee camps and make millions out of this whole mess.

    WHo teaches them English though?

    how do you communicate with someone sharing your private space if they can't talk to you in your language?


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  • #22
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,199 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    eeguy wrote: »
    Wouldn't take them into the house, but I'd convert the garage into an apartment and house them there.

    I don't understand the hard hearts of people towards those who have nothing. The Irish have spread across the world during hard times and are still spreading, so why the bigotry when someone wants to immigrate here?

    Some of them have plenty.

    They pay traffickers to get them to Europe.

    Then they are not happy with Greece, Turkey or Italy etc..

    So they have riots at railway stations DEMANDING to be allowed travel to Germany, Sweden and the UK.

    These people are not destitute.

    I feel so sorry for those who are in dire straits and cannot get out of the countries at war. Those who cannot afford to go are the forgotten. Let us just remember them for a minute.

    And TBH in all the pics I've seen, I haven't seen a woman at all. That struck me.

    It is a mess, and we are mugs.


  • #23
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »


    And TBH in all the pics I've seen, I haven't seen a woman at all. That struck me.

    It is a mess, and we are mugs.

    There were women and children in that truck in Austria last week where they found over 70 dead.


  • #24
    libelula
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,212 ✭✭✭libelula


    cowboyBuilder wrote: »
    Yeah, or worse some ISIS lunatic ...

    Ah will you come round to yourself!!


  • #25
    Old Jakey
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 436 ✭✭Old Jakey


    The EU will soon make it a hate crime not to take strangers into you house.


  • #26
    Old Jakey
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 436 ✭✭Old Jakey


    biko wrote: »
    To be honest it's a brilliant idea.
    It makes sure refugees that do come here are assimilated into society immediately and not cooped up in some direct provision place with no social interaction.
    Also the host family cannot make money out of this. Living expenses only. Otherwise you'll get the same situation as in Sweden where business people are starting refugee camps and make millions out of this whole mess.
    Bertil Andersson, Swedish businessman, makes 100 000 euro a month on the refugee camps http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/han-tjanar-miljoner-pa-utsatta-flyktingar/

    How many are you planning on taking in?


  • #27
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 22,384 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    In Curb Your Enthusiasm, it led to hilarious consequences when Larry took in the Black family from New Orleans.

    Yes, I would take in a family fleeing from some war like Syria. It wouldn't be without qualms, but the prospect of changing their lives at the cost of some minor inconvenience to mine would make it do-able.


  • #28
    custard gannet
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 426 ✭✭custard gannet


    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34118978

    Sign me up :):cool:


  • #29
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 7,344 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Carry wrote: »
    Would you take in a refugee? Would you organise an initiative as above?

    I did this I guess. And I took in an "internal" refugee girl and her brother I met on an irish chat room - both of them from ireland and living here - and I did the best I could for them.

    I suppose it sounds a bit like "I am not a racist but" - but I am happy to take people into my home where and when I can - and as you see I do it often - so I guess I would LOVE to do it for others too but I will never do it because there are enough people HERE already that need help. Helping "others" I guess I have to leave to "others" too :( would that I could.


  • #30
    boobar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,226 ✭✭✭boobar


    Would I take in a refugee?

    Maybe Wycleff Jean

    Just one time...

    Or maybe two times






    Sorry thought you meant Fugee


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  • #31
    tonycascarino
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,373 ✭✭✭tonycascarino


    Not a hope. The majority are chancers/economic migrants. If the majority really were refugees then why did not flee to the nearest peaceful country with a similar background to them in Asia/Africa or why did they not stay in the first country they arrived in Europe like Italy or Greece instead of going half way across Europe demanding this & that. Why? Because they want to go to countries that are soft touches with good benefit systems.


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