Four Catholic bishops have issued a Christmas statement warning against xenophobia. They have also said a national immigration policy "is urgently needed".
Bishop Fiachra O Ceallaigh, chairman of Refugee Project; Bishop John Kirby, chairman of Trocaire; Bishop Jim Moriarty, president of the Council for Social Welfare; and Bishop Laurence Ryan, president of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, said: "Our faith leaves no room for doublethink on the matter of racism and hatred of foreigners."
They warned against racist behaviour and said it should be opposed wherever it arose, whether as "insulting graffiti, threatening phone calls, verbal abuse, racially motivated intimidation or violence, discrimination in accommodation, biased or misleading media coverage: such behaviour is culpable and may have untold consequences for already vulnerable individuals".