Irish police have evicted 20 asylum seekers from tents they had pitched in the Grand Canal area of Dublin. The police acted after receiving a report from Waterways Ireland employees who patrol the area. Some of the asylum seekers had arrived at the location just minutes before the police, who then removed them from the site.
The police had previously received a report from Waterways Ireland employees that asylum seekers were setting up tents near the International Protection Office (IPO). The police arrived at the scene just 15 minutes after the tents were erected on land owned by Waterways Ireland and removed them.
According to the police, the asylum seekers left the area and walked toward the city center. Some had departed their accommodations because they could not afford the costs, while others had sought refuge in mosques.
Olivia Hedon, a volunteer at a charitable organization, reports that offers of accommodation are now arriving more quickly than ever. Charities are identifying asylum seekers who cannot afford housing costs and referring them to international protection accommodation services for assistance. Hedon stated, “You have to sleep rough and be visible before you’re offered accommodation.”
According to volunteers who wished to remain anonymous, accommodation offers for asylum seekers sleeping rough still take days. Additionally, some residents in international protection accommodation either leave or are shown the door due to altercations among residents, leaving them on the streets for weeks.
Hedon emphasized the complexity of the issue, noting the ongoing influx of people onto the streets, which leaves many without shelter. She remarked, “The safest place for them is the canal, even though they face attacks there.”
Nick Henderson, the CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, found the police raids in the canal area shocking. Having been present during a recent raid, he questioned, “Is it really in the interests of justice to move people from a small plot of grassy land late at night at the beginning of winter? We are very concerned about this situation.” Henderson slammed the government’s policy of forcing asylum seekers to live on the streets, putting themselves at risk to demonstrate their eligibility for accommodation.
Henderson suggested that asylum seekers residing in state-provided shelters should try to find private accommodation, leaving the shelters for those unable to secure housing. However, he noted that such a suggestion could expose asylum seekers to the risk of exploitation.
Henderson stated that Waterways Ireland follows a policy of relocating individuals living in difficult conditions to any available location, with volunteers offering support to asylum seekers in exceptional cases. He stressed that the approaching winter makes the current situation unsustainable, urging the government and Dublin City Council to address the problem. Henderson called for the city council to provide emergency services and additional support to asylum seekers.
