Last Saturday witnessed the placement of over one dozen fresh tents along a portion of the famous South Dublin walkway, the Grand Canal, whilst workers diligently carried on with the assembly of kilometres of barriers. An estimate of over 30 tents were set up towards the Baggot Street completion of Wilton Terrace that particular Saturday morning. Some of the dwellers chose to utilize the cool shadow provided by adjacent trees to make phone calls. Meanwhile, others indulged in water refreshments from wax-coated cups. Regular morning strollers including joggers and parents pushing prams, traversed the sidewalk underneath the pleasant warmth of May’s sunshine.
These protective barriers, which were initially set up in the proximity of Mount Street by the canal last Thursday, are products of a collective operation aimed at the removal of over a hundred tents belonging to homeless asylum seekers. They now extend from Warrington and Percy Place, crossing the majority of Wilton Terrace, progressing further along Charlemont place and finally halting at Harcourt terrace. A chunk of the men who had been told to move by last Thursday morning were transported to locales such as Crooksling in southwest Dublin, and Dundrum.
Workers, who were also noticed arranging additional barriers around Huband Bridge on Herbert Place on Saturday morning, apparently had no intentions of relocating the 30 or more men stationed near the McCartney Bridge on Baggot Street. They explained that erecting barriers, and not displacing men, was their actual duty.
Most of the tents at Wilton Terrace were occupied by men from Afghanistan and Palestine. A fraction of these men had spent some time in Crooksling before and have been in Dublin for a few weeks. However, the larger part only arrived in Ireland after last Thursday’s cleaning operation along the canal. It should be noted that some of the campers at the site were unwilling to express their thoughts due to a surge in racial slurs directed towards them last Friday evening.
The recent statistics from International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) notify that there are currently 1,715 asylum-seeking men in line for a forthcoming accommodation proposal.
On average, during the first week of May, Ireland saw the arrival of 87 asylum seekers daily, a significant increase from last April’s average of 57 per day. A large proportion of these newcomers were from Nigeria, followed by smaller groups from Afghanistan, Jordan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
Newly arrived single men constituted almost 40% of the influx, whereas children accounted for 27%, and women merely for 9%.
Olivia Headon, who has previously worked with the International Organisation for Migration in countries such as Yemen, Somalia, and Ukraine, and is presently a volunteer, pointed out that due to the government’s inability to provide accommodation immediately upon arrival, these men often end up camping around the city centre.
According to her, these newly arrived individuals tend to stick together as they seek safety and a sense of community. Headon dismised government assumptions that these asylum seekers have established networks and resources to rely on. She pointed out that many, especially those from Afghanistan, lack such networks. She highlighted their vulnerability, with many having experienced significant hardship, including witnessing death during their perilous journey to Ireland.
She criticised the government’s decision to erect barriers along large part of the Grand Canal, stating it sends an exaggerated message of danger. This, she added, has lead to increasing tension and negatively impacted the homeless Irish community that use this space.
Headon made a call for the government to collaborate with existing homeless outreach teams to create a comprehensive registry of men living on the streets awaiting accommodation. She emphasized the need for an active outreach that would perform on-the-spot evaluations of these people, particularly during weekends when hostels see an influx, as a first step in addressing their needs. As per Headon’s arguments, there is a crucial need for an accurate register of these individuals.
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