Authorities in the UK are examining an alleged assault on the tented homes of displaced asylum seekers living on the banks of Dublin’s Grand Canal. Over thirty men, who have been camped by the canal since Thursday, claim they were attacked on Saturday night by a mob on bikes, some of whom were masked. They shared that their tents were pelted with eggs, kicked, and jolted, while their attackers screamed words of “racism” and “abuse”.
They further reported a build-up to this incident, involving days of non-consensual photographing and verbal maltreatment from strangers visiting the area. Remnants of the assault, such as fragmented eggshells, were still present on the footpath near the tents on Sunday. The terrified men, all of whom were asylum seekers, shared their fears and experiences.
One man, a Palestinian in his thirties, reported the attackers rode up on bikes and started hurling eggs at them. A North African man confessed to his sleepless nights, expressing his fear of a group of around fifteen masked individuals on bikes who he believed were armed. An immigrant from Zimbabwe shared his anxiety, noting how the incident has left him sleepless and concerned for what might happen next. He shared his hope that God would protect them and revealed he has been in Ireland for a month, waiting for his application to be processed by the International Protection Office (IPO).
An Eritrean youth, who had been directed to the camp by a local delivery cyclist, related his own plight of being tentless. A man from Bangladesh in his forties spoke of his fear for his safety after his tent was kicked and egged, expressing his concerns about the possibility of a stabbing. He emphasised that they were not causing problems and were merely trying to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings.
The men related their experience over a span of half an hour. In this duration, two men strolled by with their pet dog who, upon seeing their plight, expressed their disgust and promised to help if they could. Within a few minutes, a woman also came to express her disapproval of the situation. The spectacle drew curious onlookers who decided to capture the moment with their cameras. A man even took the effort to set up his phone on a stand at the Baggot Street bridge and filmed a monologue in front of the tents.
Their plight attracted feelings of sympathy as well as fear in the heart of these asylum seekers. Some of the passersby stopped to talk to them. A local volunteer brought food and water supplies that she had obtained from a charity. As she handed out these essentials, an elderly man acknowledged her good deed.
Several of the men were previously camped at a larger site further along the canal, which unfortunately was cleared out on a Thursday morning operation by multiple agencies. In this event, over 150 asylum-seeking males were offered lodging by International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) in Crooksling, southwest Dublin and Dundrum. However, some were unable to avail the accommodation due to various reasons, including not being present at the site between 7 and 8 in the morning when the clearance occurred.
Garda, the state police service of the Republic of Ireland, was aware of the incident where several tents at Grand Canal were damaged on the Saturday night of 11th May. They are still investigating the incident. The Garda maintains contact with the International Protection Office (IPO) and IPAS to assist with providing accommodation to asylum seekers. They also interact with individuals sleeping rough to provide any available services from council outreach, Focus Ireland, Simon Community and others.
Sources suggest that Garda has taken measures to discourage such attacks by beefing up patrols in areas where tents have been spotted.