In Dublin, certain volunteers are choosing to stay overnight with homeless male asylum seekers who are living on the streets. This measure arises from increased anxieties surrounding potential violent attacks fuelled by growing anti-immigrant feelings in the city. Reports suggest that male international protection applicants (IPAs) experiencing homelessness have been targets of intimidation, such as verbal insults and non-consensual photography or filming, since the accommodation crisis for male IPAs emerged in the previous December. The escalating nature of these threats is causing considerable trepidation.
While some volunteers remain with the individuals until dawn, others express reluctance in assuming the duty of protecting them through the night. For instance, last Thursday night, after incidences of tents belonging to asylum seekers being cut and disposed of in river Liffey, volunteers stayed at a recent camp location on Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, until the early hours of Friday morning.
The volunteers stated that there was verbal abuse around 1:30am that left the approximate 20 men at the site terrified, with some unable to sleep throughout the night. The volunteers emphasised their commitment in showing solidarity with these asylum seekers, demonstrating that there are Irish individuals who are keen on making them feel safe and welcome, standing by them in their struggles.
Volunteers met similar situations in other locations such as St Mary’s Road and City Quay in the span of the week, including other places in Phoenix Park, Phibsborough and Charlemont Place near Ranelagh. On Tuesday, an alleged attack took place at City Quay where several men’s tents were assaulted by men brandishing knives and pipes. The victims’ tents and bags were then dumped into the Liffey, forcing them to seek refuge at a local Garda station located on Pearse Street.
On the night prior, a troubling situation took place roughly concurrently in Phibsborough and at a former factory in Coolock, designated for housing asylum seekers. A collective of men, including some masked individuals, targeted and hurled verbal abuses at around 15 asylum seekers residing in Shandon Gardens park adjacent to the Royal Canal.
In anticipation of escalating tensions, volunteers were guiding the men towards more inconspicuous camping sites for Friday night, as fears of another wave of xenophobic disruption loomed in Coolock, which would require intervention by the Garda Public Order Unit.
According to volunteer Olivia Headon, while denigration and threats towards the men have consistently occurred, the level of animosity is steadily rising and becoming more severe. She expressed that recent events in Coolock seems to have given some people the green light to act more aggressively – ruining tents, engaging in physical assault, and even tossing tents into the river.
The Department of Children and Integration’s most recent stats reveals that as of Friday, there were 1,399 male asylum seekers still awaiting accommodation offers – a decrease by one from the previous Tuesday. Following the department’s decision on December 4th not to offer accommodation to these individuals anymore, 4,401 have since applied for asylum. Among them, 421 were given accommodation after a vulnerability assessment, 1,581 were offered housing later, and 3,980 received a weekly provisional pay of €113.80 as a substitute for housing.