| Welcome to the weekend issue of Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Join us on Saturdays for deeper dives from our bureaus across Europe. DUBLIN — Ireland is known across the globe for its "cead mile failte," or 100,000 welcomes for all visitors. Now, for the first time, it's seeing the emergence of the same anti-immigration forces that have spread across the rest of Europe. With European elections a week away in Ireland, candidates say it's one of the top issues on voters' minds, and many independents are running on a platform of stricter immigration policies. A poll out yesterday showed that 23% of voters intend to vote for independents, suggesting that main opposition party Sinn Fein is losing support to those with more direct anti-immigration views. While the politically divisive nature of the immigration debate has been apparent during television debates among European Parliament candidates, an uglier response has also emerged. Political parties have reported an increase in threats and abuse, increasingly racist in nature, against candidates.  Vehicles burn at the junction of Bachelors Walk and the O'Connell Bridge in Dublin on Nov. 23, 2023. Photographer: Peter Murphy/Getty Images One video that spread quickly across social media in the past week shows Linkwinstar Mattathil Mathew, a candidate in the local election in north Dublin, being abused, and his election posters taken down by a gang of men. Mattathil Mathew, originally from India, has lived in Ireland for 20 years, according to Irish media. The video prompted a condemnation from Prime Minister Simon Harris, who decried those trying to create "fear, humiliation and anxiety." Hazel Chu, a Green Party member of Dublin City Council who is running for election, blames a small few for fanning fears. "These people are going into areas armed with misinformation and are deliberately using it," she said. "They know there is a middle ground." An outburst of anti-immigration sentiment fueled by social media was first seen in the riots that erupted in Dublin last November. Since then, there have been an increasing number of arson attacks and protests, some of which have turned violent, against accommodations earmarked for asylum seekers as the government scrambles to find housing for new arrivals. During election campaigning, police have investigated a number of incidents of racist abuse against candidates and the homes of politicians, including integration minister Roderic O'Gorman, have been targeted by protesters.  Green Party member Hazel Chu Photographer: Artur Widak/Getty Images But despite these concerns, over 100 candidates from a migrant background are running in the elections, according to the Immigrant Council of Ireland. That highlights the dramatic change in Irish demographics in recent decades from a Catholic and homogenous society just a couple of decades ago. Mattathil Mathew told the Irish Times newspaper that the abuse he received would not stop him from running in the local elections and he was grateful for support he had received. While politicians have condemned the abuse, with national elections on the horizon, all parties are grappling with how to deal with the issue of immigration. Parties in the ruling coalition have toughened their positions and more right-wing rhetoric is seeping into broader political discourse. Others are pushing back. "Ireland is not full," Chu said. "Ireland has employment. Does Ireland have enough housing? No. But is it because the refugees or asylum seekers are taking homes? No." — Jennifer Duggan, Dublin bureau chief | 
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