On Saturday evening, both the Dublin Fire Brigade and local law enforcement were present at the third reported incident of fire in as many days at the erstwhile Crown Paints manufacturing facility in Coolock, a district in North Dublin. This area has been designated as an upcoming shelter for applicants under international protection.
Around 10pm, the blaze was efficiently managed and contained, mirroring the events from Thursday and Friday nights that also took place in the building’s reception space. The Dublin Fire Brigade released a statement noting, “Currently, two of our fire engines, from the Kilbarrack and North Strand stations, are working to manage a fire at the old Crown Paints premises. The situation is under control and our team is working to extinguish any remaining flames. We anticipate completion soon.”
Law enforcement sources suggest that multiple acts of arson are the likely cause, with the culprits seemingly climbing over a concrete barrier into the facility, starting the fires and swiftly vacating the premises before the smoke and fire become noticeable. Despite having a three-metre tall barrier of solid concrete set up around the compound since Tuesday morning, this only protects the entrance, leaving the rest of the area vulnerable due to a shorter surrounding fence.
The police have yet to establish a manpower presence within the private property, as doing so would necessitate a large-scale deployment for personnel safety. Such a move would prove expensive and potentially challenging to deescalate.
Growing disturbances along Malahide Road – where the facility is situated – coupled with these fires, highlight the escalating security risks related to maintaining order at the former paint factory. These safety worries are predicted to escalate once refurbishment begins to provide accommodation for approximately 500 international protection applicants.
Since March, a protest camp had been active on the private land adjacent to the old paint factory, aiming to prevent workers from renovating the site. However, an operation by law enforcement to dismantle the protestors’ camp and permit the entry of construction and security personnel, as well as necessary equipment and materials, began just before 4am last Monday.
Molotov cocktails were hurled and a digger was engulfed in flames, leading to conflicts between the police – involving the Riot Squad – and the assembly of individuals on site on both Monday and Tuesday. During the skirmishes, the police made use of riot shields and capsaicin sprays, with the Riot Squad being deployed again on the Friday evening.
This enforcement action was instigated on Friday in order to scatter the crowd when a fire was started and objects were being lobbed at the police. An earlier protest on Friday in the vicinity had proceeded peacefully, although a minor group later assembled on the spot and unrest ensued.
The fires on Thursday and Friday evenings incurred scant damage to the entrance hall of the building. It’s believed that the fire on Saturday night was also somewhat insignificant, though the exact scale of the fire is under evaluation.
Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Integration, stated this week that the current accommodation programme for asylum seekers provided by his department, which includes the use of government-owned land and interest expressions for large structures capable of being “reconfigured,” was “successful and carrying out its multiple aspects”.
Despite the confrontations which led to the detention of 32 individuals, 22 of whom have already presented themselves before the law, primarily on charges related to public order, he was adamant that the plans to accommodate up to 500 international protection applicants at the previously Crown Paints facility would still go proceed.