Sir, – My late father and grandparents, from Eastern Europe, survived the second World War. They suffered a good deal and had to abandon their home, twice. They were lucky that they survived, intact, as a family.
What is happening now in Trump’s America is not the same. And yet . . . By using inhumane practices, such as separating young children from their parents, we are a little further along the road where the “unacceptable” gradually becomes the norm.
I am not American but the country, up to now, would not, I feel, have countenanced such a move.
The veneer of civilisation is thin. It is up to all of us to use our voice and denounce this appalling practice. Yes, the practice has now been rescinded but there is the slight matter of a few thousand children who are now “lost” in the system . . . (And a thank you to Ireland for granting asylum to my father who I think made a huge contribution to cultural life as deputy leader/leader with the National Symphony Orchestra). – Yours, etc,
INGRID NACHSTERN,
Artistic Director,
Night Star Dance Company,
Dublin 4.