Significant measures have been implemented by An Garda Siochána at the Thornton Hall location in north County Dublin in expectation of contractors arriving to prepare the site as dwelling for international protection applicants. On Wednesday evening, numerous Garda officers were positioned strategically around the site’s edges, equipping themselves with Public Order Unit helmets in case of any turmoil.
The Garda headquarters unusually released a statement dispelling rumours and false news claiming they were secretly relocating international protection applicants to the site. They clarified that there were no applicants at the site as of yet. Instead, they had established a substantial security operation to take hold of key locations to facilitate the work. This is intended to prevent any repetition of the violent incident that occurred at Coolock, north Dublin the prior month when Garda officers attempted to move contractors onto the old Crown Paints factory, a site marked for international protection applicants.
Security measures such as steel crowd-control fences, similar to those used outside Dáil Eireann to manage violent protestors in recent years, have been installed in certain areas of the site while concrete barricades have been erected in others.
The Garda operation also involves having Public Order Unit officers ready to react and the use of cellular vehicles equipped with cells for prisoners in case multiple arrests would need to be made. These measures were necessitated so that the contractors could safely transport their tools and workforce onto the site. A woman in her 50s was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly disturbing the peace and she was expected to face court on Thursday morning.
The Garda operation was planned to continue into early Thursday and potentially for several days after, contingent on any possible protests in the isolated area. On Wednesday night, the Garda Headquarters confirmed that they had provided support to the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) and contractors, in gaining access to a site in Kilsallaghan, where Thornton Hall is situated, for authorised employment.
Almost two decades ago, this land was purchased for the Irish Prison Service with the intention of constructing a new prison. However, a recent decision by the Department of Integration has determined the land should be utilised to house applicants seeking international protection. It is not anticipated that the first inhabitants will be relocated to the site until the following month.