An Irish comedian has hit out at how the media has covered the Titanic submersible story versus a migrant boat tragedy in Greece that claimed the lives of 500 people, with 100 of those believed to be children.
Kildare comedian Aisling Bea, known for creating This Way Up on Channel 4, has hit out at round-the-clock coverage of the missing Titanic tourist submersible, with five people onboard, compared to the Greek sea migrant shipwreck which occurred on June 14.
The stand-up comedian said it was a "grim reflection" on how "dehumanised we have come" to view migrants in "states of absolute peril."
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Taking to Instagram on World Refugee Day on Tuesday, June 20, she shared a picture of herself in a T-shirt from a social enterprise that works with refugees and Irish people from marginalised communities.
She wrote: "While I understand the intrigue of the maritime accident so close to the Titanic and you wouldn’t wish it on anyone, the comparative lack of news coverage of the Greek sea disaster last week where 500 people are feared drowned including 100 children is a grim reflection on maybe how dehumanised we have come to view people who are trying to better their lives or in states of absolute peril in the places they would rather be."
The tragedy has been described as one of the worst-ever shipwreck tragedies for refugees crossing the Mediterranean.
The overcrowded boat, which contained 750 people looking to seek refuge in Europe, left eastern Libya and ran into trouble 120 kilometres from Greece. Nine Egyptian men appeared in court accused of people-smuggling in relation to the tragedy this week.
The 39-year-old comedian stated that at one point in time, people seeking refuge in other countries were Irish.
She stressed that the Irish people faced discrimination and were often dehumanised through language by politicians in other countries.
"Our pain and suffering was not seen as important as other people’s pain as we were seen as a problem," she added.
