Around 40 tents have been pitched along the Grand Canal in Dublin today by male asylum seekers without accommodation.
It comes just hours after a multi-agency operation removed and destroyed around 100 tents.
The Department of Integration says 89 men were offered alternative accommodation in the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, however, there were still around 20 men left behind who said they hadn’t received an offer.
'No option'
One of them is Bilal from Pakistan who said he has “no other option” but to sleep along the canal.
“They didn’t say anything this morning, they said we will destroy the [tents],” he said.
“They had names on a list for people who could go to accommodation and people whose names they didn’t have on the list could not go to the accommodation.
“My name was not on the list and I don’t know where I will go.”
Around 45 tents have been pitched along the Grand Canal in Dublin just hours after over 100 tents were removed from the same area this morning. pic.twitter.com/pRinwV5Glj
— Barry Whyte (@BarryWhyte85) May 21, 2024
Bilal said he had been elsewhere in Europe before coming to Ireland.
“I was in Europe for ten years, in Germany, and came here because they took my documents and I couldn’t work – I had no option,” he said.
“I was a postman, different jobs, and I want to get a work permit and work here.”
Members of the public pass tents belonging to asylum seekers along the Grand Canal, as news reports indicate the number of tents has now increased to above 100. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ieTariba from Nigeria said he had been living along the Grand Canal but was informed by IPAS yesterday that he would be moved to different accommodation.
“They came and took a picture of our blue card last night, got our emails and said they were moving us to new accommodation,” he said.
“They destroyed the tents [on Grand Canal] and I think the place I will be moving to will be better than here because it’s a larger tent.”
More tents likely
Tariba said it was likely more tents would pop up when they left.
“Some people weren’t here last night [when IPAS came], they went to get something to eat and things like that,” he said.
“There’s going to be more people coming too.”
The Grand Canal tents operation. Image: Stephanie Rohan/NewstalkSouth African asylum seeker Brian also said another tent city will likely appear in another area of Dublin after today’s operation.
“As long as there's the prices of accommodation, this is going to keep happening,” he said.
“If it’s not here it’s going to be somewhere else and it’s going to happen probably by tonight.”
There are now 30,256 asylum seekers in State accommodation.
Main image: A man looks on at asylum seeker tents on the Grand Canal today. Image: Sasko Lazarov/ © RollingNews.ie
