Asylum seekers who have set up tents near Mount Street canal in Dublin have shared their uncertainty about the length of their stay and the potential availability of lodging in the forthcoming days. Approximately 40 tents can be found spanning from Mount Street to Huband bridges, on the Warrington Place side of the Grand Canal. Some are inhabited by foreigners who were previously squatting outside the International Protection Office (IPO), located 200m away on Lower Mount Street. Others have reportedly just arrived in Ireland.
It is believed that the first tents materialised on Thursday morning, with their numbers significantly increasing on Friday night and Saturday morning. Ahmed, a Palestinian man, narrated how he was among those transported to Citywest from outside IPO upon clearance of the area on Wednesday. However, lacking accommodation in Citywest, he was returned to Dublin. Later, he received a letter stating the International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) was currently unable to assist him and that he would be updated via email once this situation changed. Unfortunately, Ahmed had misplaced his tent and several personal items during the cleaning operation, though he has been supplied with a replacement tent.
Abdullah, an Iraqi who has lived in Ireland for two months, also found himself without a tent this week and was endeavouring to find a new one to use by the canal on Saturday night. Abdel from Morocco, and his Hungarian wife Evelen, were amongst the other migrants. They moved to Ireland half a year ago, after a stint in England where Abdel’s brother lives, but they have yet to find suitable lodgings in Ireland.
Jarah, a Syrian national who has been in the Emerald Isle for two years with permission to stay, usually resides in a hostel. However, he had to vacate his spot for a few nights and was erecting a tent late Saturday afternoon with the intention of returning to the hostel once he can.
Throughout the late afternoon, several more tents were erected, including two along the edge of the waterways on Percy Place. Nadette and Lara, both active volunteers with migrants in distinct areas of the city, arrived to render support to the tent inhabitants. Nadette described the situation of people being resigned to living in a tent adjacent to a bustling road as a staggering revelation.
“There’s a possibility that some of these males will be accorded refugee or humanitarian protection, particularly those from countries like Afghanistan and Somalia who are unlikely to be sent back. Is this our approach to their integration?” she asked.
Residents of the neighbourhood, although they preferred anonymity, voiced their compassion for those suffering. They raised concerns about hygiene, contributing to worries about the migrant’s situation, and its potential repercussions for pedestrians.
The atmosphere was tinged with dissatisfaction, as this predicament arose mere days after the clearance of the vicinity around the International Protection Offices. The Taoiseach, Simon Harris, had just expressed his disapproval for the emergence of such tent settlements.
One local demanded that the Taoiseach uphold what she interpreted as a pledge- avoiding the recurrence of the situation around the corner. Another highlighted the precarious position of having qualms about tents housing people in public spaces and being labelled racist. “How can one remain indifferent to this?” they asked.
According to him, the government must expedite procedures, ensuring swift provision of support and protection to those in need. However, swift repatriation was needed for those whose circumstances didn’t warrant help.
A woman expressed her anticipation of the reemergence of tents close to the IPO in the absence of adequate accommodation. She empathised with the migrants’ decision to remain in the vicinity but was apprehensive about the deteriorating conditions in the event of an increase in numbers. Unanimously, locals agreed the conditions near the IPO were distressing. The woman cited several instances where migrants fell ill due to the circumstances.
South Georgian Core Residents Association’s chairman, Kevin Byrne, mentions that the group, which comprises around 150 local inhabitants, is unconvinced that the IPO should continue functioning at its current site.
The sentiment of local businesses and residents strongly supports the notion that the International Protection Office (IPO) can no longer safely function from Lower Mount Street. This viewpoint emerged in the aftermath of the recent Mount Street tent eviction that was met with disappointment from those abandoned. The occurrence of such problems so soon after Wednesday’s clearance operation revealed to us the organisation’s incapability to offer appropriate support in a bustling city centre location. It is more suitable for the IPO to be based in a location where it can adequately manage the volume of people it’s assisting with an array of support services.
It has been reported that there are emerging tent towns by the canal, which authorities like Waterways Ireland and An Garda Síochána have been made aware of, even though there have been no signals of any impending measures to displace or accommodate these people. The general worry, based on observations from the past year, is the quick formation of substantial tent cities if one or two tents are permitted to set up. This is exactly the scenario we have seen unfolding in the past few days.
If the issue is not tackled promptly, it’s expected that this “tent town” will swiftly enlarge. It’s advised that the government honour their political commitment as indicated by the Taoiseach and decisively act on this issue.