The Government U-turn on plans to house 50 male asylum seekers at a building in County Carlow has been criticised as giving into a far-right narrative.
The Department of Integration had been planning to house the 50 men at the former Capuchin Friary Building on Dublin Street in the town.
The Department told Newstalk in a statement people will be moved into the building 'in the coming days.'
"Although it had initially been expected that the property would be used to house men, following a departmental meeting last night regarding the increasing number of families, and despite the ongoing acute shortage of accommodation for single males, it has been decided that the requirement to prioritise families must take precedence," it said.
It said the building "will be used to address the needs of families. This is one of a number of premises that will change use as a result of this shortage."
It added that there have been over 190 accommodation locations utilised since January 2022 across the country.
It comes after around 200 protesters gathered outside the building last night.
It is the second time this week that protests have been held outside a premises earmarked for asylum seekers, following similar scenes in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) Co-Founder Lucky Khambule said the Government U-turn is a “shocking response” to the protests.
"We have seen the Government actually not attending to the issue of the rise of the far-right," he said.
"For over a year now, there has been protests all over the country, centres that are earmarked to house asylum seekers have been burnt.
"The men are staying in the streets at the moment because of a lack of accommodation.
"In two weeks now, centres that are earmarked to house male asylum seekers have been turned around by the Government to house the family asylum seekers.
"This is because the far-right and the local communities have been speared up by the far-right to oppose the housing of men in those areas.
"This about-turn by the Government is really a shock to us; it's a shock to the men that are still in the streets that the Government is allowing this to happen.
"What will happened to the people that have been in the streets for the past three weeks at the moment in this weather?
"It's a shocking response by the Government".
'Far-right narrative'
Mr Khambule said communities are more willing to take asylum seeker families due to the narrative being pushed by some groups about single men.
"[This] means there isn't a problem - the problem is the narrative that has been pushed by the far-right to say that the men bring to the communities crime, rape, children are not safe, women are not safe," he said.
"That is a narrative that has been pushed by the far-right, so it's not an issue of services not being available".
Mr Khambule said people should "give each and every person a chance and welcome them in their communities".
"There is no study that has been brought to book to say in this area when men have been put in this area the crime levels have increased," he said.
Mr Khambule appealed to people to relax, adding that their communities will be safe with male asylum seekers.
