THE BRUTAL murder of two Polish workers in Dublin was a terrible crime that has shocked and dismayed the general public and traumatised the residents of Drimnagh. The viciousness of the assaults and their cold-blooded nature pose fundamental questions concerning the direction of our society: the lack of youth facilities, alcohol abuse, mental health issues and inherent racism.
Deepest sympathy and heartfelt regrets have been extended to the families of the dead men, Marius Szwajkos and Pawel Kalite. They have come to Ireland to take the bodies of their loved ones home for burial. The Taoiseach offered his condolences to the Polish prime minister on his official visit there. Apart from the emotional loss and suffering involved, there are likely to be serious financial consequences for the families. Members of the Drimnagh community are to be commended for raising funds and organising a public vigil in memory of the two men, but nothing will erase the savagery of what occurred.
Violent street crime has increased dramatically in recent years. The Government has spent large amounts of money on policing and prisons but a similar determination has been lacking in addressing social deprivation and related causes of crime. Gangland shootings, connected to drug dealing, have inflated the homicide figures. But extreme acts of violence, involving young people and alcohol particularly, cannot be dismissed in that fashion. The statistics speak for themselves: between 1999 and 2006 the number of "assaults causing harm" increased more than five-fold, from 737 to 3,971.
Thankfully, there is no evidence to suggest the killing of Mr Szwajkos and Mr Kalite was racially motivated. Their presence in Ireland is indicative of the radical change economic growth has brought to the composition of our society in the past decade. One in 10 of the workforce was born elsewhere. They have contributed enormously to the wealth of the country. But social tensions have developed. And while these have been largely attributed to administrative shortcomings and poor public services, xenophobia is alive and active in many communities.
Everyone has a duty to hold out a welcoming hand to foreign workers and to those families that have decided to make their homes here.. A successful Irish diaspora would expect no less. The deaths of these two men, hard workers, popular individuals and responsible citizens, should encourage us to become more supportive of a process of integration.