Katja Mia made a powerful statement today in response to the “anti-immigrant” riots that took place in Dublin on Thursday night.
Speaking on Ireland AM on Friday morning, she shared how proud she is to be an immigrant.
“I know they’re targeting immigrants,” she began, referring to the 100 to 200 people who took to streets of Dublin to riot.
“I’m proud to be Irish but I’m even more proud to be an immigrant. My parents came here in 1997 from war-torn Burundi. Everything was bombed- they left with nothing.”
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She went on to say: “Knowing that I come from very humble beginnings a lot of asylum seekers regret their circumstances and they want nothing more than to integrate and to contribute to society, pay their taxes and just be a part of a new Ireland.”
Katja made her disappointment clear as she stated: “I just think we’re not the problem and the fact that people use their unhappiness to have an excuse for their bigotry is just…” before trailing off, as she was left speechless.
She explained that when she grew up people would throw eggs at her and her family.
“Growing up where I grew up, there was a group of people that probably weren’t the best educated and used my family moving into an estate as the first black family as an excuse to cause fires around our house and egg us and everything like that.
“Maybe it scares them, maybe they’re not used to having people that aren’t Irish around them.
“It just takes a bit of integration, getting to know these people knowing that they want nothing more than to work and contribute to this country and they don’t want to cause any of this havoc that is going on right now.”
She concluded by saying: “The people that are saying ‘Oh, immigrants are destroying Dublin’ you’re the ones destroying Dublin. Look at last night. There was not one immigrant in sight on the streets looting.”
What a powerful statement.
