On Halloween night, a fire broke out an IPAS centre in Drogheda. Four children, including a 20-day-old baby, were among those rescued from the top floor of the building. 

The next morning the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan condemned the attack and said that fireworks had been thrown into the building. There were no fireworks, CCTV footage showed a figure setting fire to the staircase. Police believe it was arson and the nature of the attack may justify attempted murder charges.

On Free State today, we ask if this will be a turning point in the demonisation of asylum seekers or is Ireland heading down the same road as other countries?

Dion and Joe disagree about the direction the country is going. They look at Simon Harris’s comments about immigration and ask what responsibility politicians have in a febrile atmosphere to lead rather than to stoke fears?

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