Anger over ‘co-ordinated attacks’ against asylum seekers sleeping rough

Mr O’Gorman held talks with Justice Minister Simon Harris yesterday following violent scenes at a protest near a makeshift camp in Sandwith Street, Dublin, on Friday evening, with another confrontation nearby yesterday.

Department of Equality officials are trying to secure accommodation for those who are forced to camp near the International Protection Office in the city centre.

Mr O’Gorman’s spokesperson said this weekend that “significant additional beds” are expected to come on stream in the coming weeks.

“The attacks on vulnerable international protection applicants are disgraceful and deeply concerning,” a spokesperson for the Green Party minister said.

“Minister O’Gorman has been liaising with Minister Harris in relation to the incidents and will look to meet with the Garda Commissioner shortly.

“The department is working to procure more accommodation and expects significant additional beds to come on stream in the coming weeks.”

Mr O’Gorman is understood to want to discuss with the Commissioner what appeared to be coordinated attacks on vulnerable international protection applicants.

The Sunday Independent has also learned that four or five sites for accommodation are due to come on stream over the next three or four weeks, including one in Dún Laoghaire and at least two others elsewhere in Dublin. Those who were in the makeshift camp in Sandwith Street have yet to be accommodated.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke out against the violent scenes, saying: “I condemn this violence unreservedly. It is malign opportunism.

“A tiny minority of people are clearly determined to make capital out of a difficult situation. The gardaí are carrying out an investigation. We cannot tolerate actions such as this.”

The Sandwith Street encampment was destroyed and partly burnt on Friday night after anti-immigrant protesters had earlier clashed with left-wing counter-demonstrators who tried to prevent them from gaining access to the camp in the Pearse Street area.

​There are several hundred homeless asylum-seekers sleeping rough in Dublin after the State ran out of beds for them.

A tented encampment in Mount Street is being occupied by several dozen asylum-seekers, while a smaller number had been staying nearby in a laneway off Upper Sandwith Street, which had been targeted by anti-immigrant activists on Thursday and Friday evening.

On Saturday afternoon a group of several dozen protesters peeled off from a rally at the Custom House opposing forthcoming hate speech laws. Among those in attendance were members of right-wing groups, including the Irish Freedom Party. A group marched to Mount Street, where there was a confrontation with asylum seekers there, before gardaí intervened.

Irish Freedom Party president Hermann Kelly distanced his group from the clashes on Mount Street on Saturday.

His party held a free speech rally at the Custom House, he said.

"The Irish Freedom Party did not hold a march nor did any members participate in one," Mr Kelly added.

Video emerged online on Friday night purporting to show a group of Irish men dismantling makeshift shelters that had been used by the asylum-seekers at the smaller Upper Sandwith Street camp. Emergency services were also alerted to a fire at the site. A garda spokesperson said that as the groups involved dispersed, “some furniture and wooden pallets were set alight in a nearby laneway”.

“No one was injured,” the spokesperson added.

​A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested under the Public Order Act during the demonstration. He was later charged and is due to appear in court later this month.

It is understood gardaí were “well aware” of the planned protests on Friday and had been monitoring social media, with a policing plan in place.

A source said locals had been “whipped up” by anti-immigration activists, including members of the far right.

“Some local people were infiltrated from elements who don’t live anywhere near here, to go out and protest against these people and even intimidate them and display violence,” the source said.

“In fairness to these refugees, they have nowhere to go because there is no accommodation being provided for them. It’s a very unfortunate situation.”