'Hate hitting boiling point' - Offaly singer reacts as Galway hotel destined for refugees is set on fire

Tullamore singer Tolu Makay has said "action needs to be taken now by the Government" after a hotel set to be used as accommodation for refugees in Galway was set on fire.

The Ross Lake House Hotel in Galway was destined to accommodate 70 refugees in the New Year but was effectively burned to the ground in an alleged malicious incident last weekend.

The attack has been widely condemned, including by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, who described it as "absolutely disgraceful" and rebuked the "Ireland is full" rhetoric peddled by far-right protesters online.

Now, Offaly singer Tolu Makay, who has been making wave in the Irish charts in the last couple of years, has hit out at incidents like that in Galway and the general spreading of anti-immigrant messaging.

She said: "The fear and hate seems like it’s hitting a new boiling point in Ireland. If they are able to burn down a hotel that accommodates those seeking refuge they are letting you know they can do worse. Action needs to be taken now by the government."

She added: "The housing crisis, cost of living, homeless crisis, overdose issues, etc we know is getting worse. But it's not the fault of those seeking refuge, go give out to the government. Pray you’re not on the other end of the stick. Seems a lot of people don’t even know their own history."

One individual responded to Tolu on X, formerly Twitter, and said, "All nonsense. Ireland needs to have an effective managed migration system. We should not be the dumping ground for citizens from corrupt countries from Asian or African countries who can't look after their own people."

Tolu hit back and said: "Doesn’t mean refugees and asylum seekers should be punished and met with violence. They’ve done nothing wrong. Your argument is nonsense. I don’t think you are smart so I’ll stop engaging."

The fear and hate seems like it’s hitting a new boiling point in Ireland. If they are able to burn down a hotel that accommodates those seeking refuge they are letting you know they can do worse. Action needs to be taken now by the government.

— Tolü Makay (@ToluMakay) December 18, 2023

A Fianna Fáil councillor for Galway, Noel Thomas, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the “inn is full” in reference to the attack and Ireland's immigration policy and called on the Government, to which his own party is a coalition partner, to stop taking asylum seekers in.

Minister Helen McEntee was asked about the controversial comments at a ceremony for people receiving Irish citizenship this week and said: “I don't agree with the sentiment that Ireland is full."

“We had 16,000 applications for international protection last year. That amounts to about 0.02 per cent of our overall population.

"There's a huge amount of mistruths that have been put out there to suggest that people who are coming seeking international protection are more likely to commit crimes. It's simply not true. It's not based on facts. This type of information is what scares people," she concluded.