Over 90 grievances have been lodged with Waterways Ireland concerning a barrier put in place along the Grand Canal in Dublin, aimed at stopping asylum seekers and individuals experiencing homelessness from setting up camp. The institution verified on Wednesday that since the establishment of the barrier in May, they have received both 88 “informal” and three “formal” complaints.
The discrepancy between the two types of complaints was clarified by a representative of the organisation, stating that any written complaints initially submitted by the public are classified as “informal” under the Waterways Ireland Customer Complaints Procedure. If the plaintiff remains dissatisfied with the initial response, a secondary “formal” complaint is then accepted. The representative elaborated that in such cases a detailed report is arranged and carefully considered in response, sent out within a maximum of 20 working days.
The fencing, installed by Waterways Ireland, spans from Grand Canal Street near Google’s offices, to Windsor Terrace in Portobello. The installation commenced in late May, following the expulsion of more than 100 asylum seekers from an adjacent camp. The fencing was temporarily dismantled in mid-July for protests but was rapidly restored by local law enforcement.
Waterways Ireland, a nationwide waterways group, spends roughly €30,000 weekly on sustaining the fences and conceded that the presence of these barriers along a public utility is far from perfect, but is necessary to ensure public health and safety.
The association reported that they’ve convened with delegates from neighbourhood communities, discussing ways to ensure the canal space can be securely and fully accessible without endangering public health or safety, according to the agency.
The Collective intentioned to Reclaim our Public Spaces, who organised a protest by the canal in the central part of July and labelled the barriers as discriminatory, class-biased and racially prejudiced, are planning to host another demonstration outside the Department of Integration situated on Baggot Street, on the imminent Saturday of August 17th.
The assembly cautioned the government in a previous week’s letter about the usage of barricades to exploit the issue of immigration and segregate working class neighbourhoods. This collective, which comprises members from the Tenants union of Community Action (CATU), the organisation of Social Rights Ireland, the Queer Intifada and People Prioritising Profit, is advocating for a constructive and empathetic approach. They’ve also issued a note of caution that the continued incorporation of an antagonistic form of architecture like fences persists in barring everyone’s pleasure of the public canal space.