On Thursday morning, an operation was initiated to relinquish over 150 homeless men and their makeshift shelters from Dublin’s Grand Canal banks. This prompt operation was set in motion around 6am by a range of personnel from several agencies. The Waterways Ireland (WI) staff, who are entrusted with the canal network’s upkeep, took the lead. They started knocking on tents at 6.45am. They were in pairs and escorted by members of An Garda Síochána, informing the inhabitants, that they needed to evacuate. It was explained that they could be facing detention if they returned.
Additional members of An Garda Síochána assembled at both Mount Street and Huband bridges while HSE medical officials, with supplementary doctors from the Safetynet charity on standby, maintained a position a bit further back at Mount Street Crescent.
Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) professionals were present to aid the effort while social workers from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) distributed A4-sized informative sheets to clarify the situation. These documents were translated into various languages such as French, Arabic, Georgian and Urdu and detailed that every asylum seeker at the canal would receive accommodation. However, the Afghan population of the men, who generally converse in Pashto, were underprivileged as the message wasn’t translated into their language.
The forewarning on the pamphlets read, anyone possessing a Temporary Resident Card needed to gather their personal effects and board the designated bus that’d transport them to their new lodging arrangement. They were instructed that it was unnecessary to haul their tents with them as those would be discarded due to health and safety regulations. It was assured that the accommodation will offer safety, nourishment, hygiene facilities while IPAS would provide support as needed.
It further noted that without permission to continue their stay along the Grand Canal property, they were committing a legal violation. Failure to comply with moving to the provided facilities or if found returning back to the area could lead to police intervention ensuing arrest and possible prosecution.
As 7 am approached, the initial coach of five was seen heading towards a previously HSE-owned nursing home location set in southwest Dublin’s Crooksling from Warrington Place. Though the men were in the dark about their destination, most appeared satisfied to set off.
One man expressed jubilance in his statement, “Yes I am happy”, as he made his way towards the waiting coaches. On being queried about his destination, he expressed uncertainty and even suggested he might not be aware of where he was headed. A Palestinian man, roused from sleep early in the day, indicated that he’d been living in Ireland for a fortnight. Despite his uncertainty of where he was being relocated to, he affirmed that it was more desirable than his current situation.
However, a small group of young Afghan men conveyed their dissatisfied sentiments. One of them voiced their reluctancy to return to Crooksling, expressing a desire for urban living. They even declined to present their ‘blue cards’, a decision that culminated in them packing their possessions and leaving the vicinity.
Over a hundred tents, previously supplied by charities funded by the Department of Children and Integration, were assembled by WI workers. These tents were then disposed of by mechanical trucks due to concerns pertaining to public health. At the same time, steel defences akin to those around the International Protection Office premises were put up beside the canal.
Both sides of the canal had been cleared by 7.50 in the morning, leaving no trace of the previous occupants. Out of the 163 men relocated, the majority (148) were accommodated in tented dwellings in Crooksling, while the remaining found respite in the former Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum.
Tensions ran high during the process. One individual in a passing van vocalised his antagonism towards the scene, whilst pedestrians generally responded with compassion, though they were relieved that the encampment had been cleared.
Jim Farrell, a man in his sixties often seen walking his pet, voiced mixed feelings. He expressed relief for local enterprises and inhabitants at the removal of the asylum seekers but also lamented the necessity of such action. Farrell asserts the government’s need to accelerate asylum seekers’ processing whilst incorporating locations away from the city centre into the process. He lamented the government’s seemingly ad hoc approach, and their tendency to make excuses about the lack of accommodation, leading to a situation of constantly relocating people.
Farrell insists that while displacement is necessary, it’s crucial to establish a secure place for those affected, as the hazardous situation might result in a fatal accident in temporary dwellings.
The most recent clearance operation, completed in a striking 70 minutes, was much faster than previous attempts. Past clearances near the IPO – scheduled on May 3rd, March 16th just prior to St Patrick’s Day, and the disorganised overnight process during an icy spell in early March when 160 men were taken to shelter amid snow – went on for over three hours. The canal clearance operation involved a significantly larger team.
Student and former humanitarian worker, Olivia Headon, has been providing voluntary assistance to homeless asylum seekers since March. Headon was present at the recent clearance and observed that several men, often sleeping in other locations away from the canal, seemed to anticipate the imminent operation, prompting some to spend their Wednesday night by the canal for the first time.
Ali, a man from Somalia, shared his experience from his current location in Crooksling over a Thursday afternoon phone call. He had been residing in O’Connell Street for two months until he received guidance via a WhatsApp group to relocate to the canal just the previous day. Ali expressed that the canal was a significantly better place to stay. He was immensely pleased when, to his delight, he awoke to the news of being relocated to proper housing. In his words, this was a ‘fantastic’ turn of events, and he expressed his gratitude to a higher power for the improvement in his circumstances.
Nasir and Khom, both 20 and hailing from Afghanistan, were reportedly present at the canal since the previous weekend. Early on Thursday, they had departed briefly to freshen up and grab a coffee, which led to their missing the bus. Nasir, evidently distressed, reported on Thursday afternoon that the duo had rushed back to the IPO in hopes of securing shelter as their tents had been removed during the cleanup. They claimed a security guard had informed them that accommodation was an issue to be addressed by IPAS, which is housed in the Department of Children and Integration on Baggot Street and can only be reached via email. according to Nasir, his previous two attempts to contact the IPAS yielded no response.
Later that Thursday, the two found themselves in possession of replacement tents and sleeping bags courtesy of the Lighthouse charity, but were unsure where they would pitch camp. Nasir expressed their fears of sleeping in a pair and expressed his desire for some additional assistance in navigating their predicament. By Friday morning, they had relocated their camp a few hundred metres from the one that had been cleared.
There was also a 40-year-old graphic designer from Zimbabwe, Edgar, who had spent the previous night in a hostel costing €25 a night. When he made it to the canal in a hurry, the final bus had already left. Edgar expressed disappointment at missing this chance but put forth his resolve, asserting his knowledge of the government’s efforts to assist the homeless. He shared his ambition to contribute to the economy and send money back home.
This group of men, including teenage boys, who didn’t make it onto the transportation from the canal on Thursday, collected their possessions and assembled at IPO in the afternoon. It was expected that many would relocate their tents to the smaller camps scattered across the capital, fearing greater vulnerability to assault in such places according to Headon. A large group of these individuals had chosen to camp at the canal primarily because it offered a sense of safety. Headon noted that racial slurs had been shouted from cars passing by the canal, adding the likelihood of physical confrontations escalated for smaller clusters.
In the aftermath of the canal cleanup, protests were being planned. One social media post calling for community presence at the Eastlink at 7pm to remove the tents echoed this sentiment. Public concern was also raised over the impact of any punitive measures on already at-risk and vulnerable groups.
Since the 4th of December, 2023, the Department declared it would cease providing housing to grown-up, solitary, male individuals seeking asylum. Statistically, there has been a surge in figures “pending accommodation offers”, which reached 1,825 this week. Since that December declaration, 3,062 “qualified males” have sought refuge. Of this demographic, 1,237 have been allocated accommodation, 300 of whom were accommodated following a “vulnerability assessment”. Those who have been settled receive meals and €38.80 weekly. Those yet to be accommodated receive a provisional increase of €75, levelling at €113.80 per week.
Dublin Simon, which manages the city’s street-sleeper outreach project notes a remarkable surge in international protection applicants (IPAs) residing on the streets and lacking alternatives to homelessness. Asylum seekers fail to qualify for housing support, thus ineligible for emergency beds provided by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) under the City Council’s purview.
As indicated by a Simon spokesperson, they often rope in the Department of Integration when they encounter an IPA residing on the streets. However, she voiced her frustrations regarding the limited support options they can provide for this group. She further raised concerns over any punitive measures targeting exposed and susceptible populations. A reference was made to the arrest threat hanging over any asylum seeker attempting to set up a tent near the canal, stating such maneuvers do not solve fundamental issues of inequality.
Several charities, including the Lighthouse, the Capuchin Day Centre, Merchants Quay Ireland, and the Mendicity Institution, have reported a substantial increase in homeless asylum seekers since January 2024. These groups need basic necessities such as food, garments, and sleeping bags, as well as medical and practical aid.
Richard King, who manages the migrant project and the refugee service at Crosscare, which provides information about access to entitlements, noted an influx of individuals from 39 in December to 195 in January and 196 in February. The number then dropped to 47 in March. He observes that while some men are self-reliant, others require more help. However, there is a consistent decline in their overall well-being the more time they spend on the streets.
Taoiseach Simon Harris commented following the clearance on Thursday that the Government’s efforts were intensifying. He considered the operation to be an instance of various agencies uniting, people eschewing operating in isolation, and significant headway being made.
“He stated firmly, “I won’t tolerate a shrugging off of responsibility to another department or agency anymore. This is Team Ireland travailing against a significant challenge we are posed with.”
Labour Party leader and local TD Representative, Ivana Bacik, voiced her appreciation for the orderly and respectful manner in which the camp was dissolved. However, she unveiled her dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of male asylum seekers, branding it as ‘entirely disastrous’. She also underscores that the government’s policy of refusing accommodation will undergo scrutiny this month in the High Court, as the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) brings a lawful challenge. In a counterargument, the State asserts that the increased payment of €113.80 serves as a substitute for accommodation.
“The government’s current strategy inflicts misery on these men, strains communities, and is unsustainable, even though there’s admirable support from local volunteers and residents,” retorts Bacik. “It incentivises the far-right significantly”. She repeated her demand to act upon the previous year’s suggestions given by the three-member External Advisory Group(EAG). The EAG proposes Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, to urgently establish six reception and assimilation centres by years’ end.
“The coordination of departments has improved, but the pace is simply too slow”, she adds. “We require more integrated thinking, more powerful direction from the Taoiseach, and all-encompassing foresight. We ought to remain steady instead of clumsily navigating from one crisis to another”.
Niamh McDonald, the head of the Hope and Courage Collective, a nationwide organisation countering the far right, condemns the government’s dealings with male asylum seekers as intentionally severe to satisfy the far right. “It’s a strategy framing and messaging to criminalise those coming to seek safety. The criminalisation of these individuals has become a contentious issue. Instead of delivering a positive narrative, alongside an actionable plan to provide accommodation, we have this ongoing narrative of ‘men living in tents’ … ‘men by the riverside’, showing a harsh stance on migration policies,” McDonald condemns.
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