Dublin’s ‘Tent City’: Early morning operation to remove Grand Canal tents completed, situation slammed as ‘inhumane, unsustainable’

Asylum seekers had pitched almost 100 tents there in recent days, a short walk from the nearby International Protection Office.

The operation came just a week after efforts to remove a large number of tents from Mount Street, where asylum seekers had been living for months.

Barriers were erected around the canal area before 6am this morning, in a similar approach to the Mount Street operation last week. .

In a distinctly quicker operation than last week, teams of people picked up the tents and cleared and cleaned the area, while a large number of asylum seekers boarded buses by 7.30am.

Crews checked each tent was clear before spray-painting an ‘X’ and a number on the side of it. They were bundled into a pile, before a ‘grabber’ machine loaded the cleared tents onto a truck.

The whole tent clearing operation was completed within the hour, by 7.45am.

The men gathered at the designated coaches waiting to be transported to a IPAS centre and the last bus left the area by 8.15am.

The designated location for the men has yet to be confirmed by agencies, but it is believed they will be moved to IPAS accommodation in Crooksling and Citywest.

Drivers had no access to a number of roads near the Grand Canal but the roads are expected to re-open soon.

Pedestrians and cyclists were able to move through the area.

There were a number of stakeholders involved in this operation.

A statement from the Government this morning confirmed that an operation by the Departments of Integration and Justice, An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council, HSE and Waterways Ireland got underway to relocate the asylum seekers.

A Government spokesperson said: "The purpose of the operation is to ensure the safe movement of people seeking international protection from the tents on the Grand Canal to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS)-designated accommodation.

"The IPAS-designated accommodation has toilets and showers; health services; indoor areas where food is provided; facilities to charge phones and personal devices; access to transport to and from Dublin City Centre; and 24-hour onsite security."

‘Unsustainable’

Labour leader Ivana Bacik, who is also a local TD for the area, welcomed the early morning move of international protection applicants to what she hopes is “appropriate and secure accommodation elsewhere”.

She said the situation was “inhumane and unsustainable”, where asylum seekers had been left with “no option but to sleep in tents along the canal” without adequate sanitation facilities or security.

Ms Bacik acknowledged that more international protection applicants are likely to arrive in the coming days and the current approach by Government is “unsustainable”.

She reiterated calls for the Government to consider the reopening of Baggot Street Hospital and pursue expert recommendations to build six State-run centres, adding that a “change of tack” is necessary.

“It is not appropriate that we would see public realm spaces fenced off in this way, absolutely not and I’ll be, again, called on Government to ensure that this is just short-term. I am glad that the multi-agency operation was carried out with dignity and respect, I understand that to be the case from local volunteers who were here.”

Notice

The second relocation in a week came as the Irish Independent reported that asylum-seekers in Dublin were offered an extra daily allowance to leave their tents and find private accommodation.

The offer to pay the extra allowance was made with the added incentive that those who accept it will be provided with non-tented accommodation when the capacity shortage has passed.

However, it was described as “pathetic” by Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

It is understood a notice had been posted in the offices of the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), where it can by seen by asylum-seekers.

A photograph of the notice, seen by the Irish Independent, shows it states the IPAS is experiencing an accommodation capacity shortage and is unable to accommodate all applicants. It then states that “some residents in IPAS tented accommodation have indicated they would prefer to take up an increased weekly allowance payment totalling €113.80”.

There is an apparent inference that these people would depart the system.

The notice stated: “Any [applicant] who wishes to voluntarily depart IPAS tented accommodation during the current accommodation capacity shortage will be eligible to receive an increase to the Daily Expense Allowance (DEA) in the amount of €75 per week, bringing the total payment to €113.80 per week.

“When the capacity shortage has passed, a new offer of accommodation will be made to those who take up this option. This offer will not be to tented accommodation, but will be for standard accommodation.”

New tents spring up despite pledges from the Government that this would not be allowed to happen

An email address linked to the Department of Equality and Integration appeared at the end of the notice. It asks those who want to enquire about the offer to use the term “DEA offer” in their subject line.

Commenting on the notice yesterday, Mr Ó Ríordáin said it looked like the Government was “trying to buy people off”.

He said: “Is this the approach? Is this the answer? It’s absolutely pathetic. It sounds again like a department who have absolutely no concept of how to deal with this issue long term.

“Giving people a few bob so they won’t add to the statistics. It’s disgusting. Anybody looking at that would realise that it’s firefighting. It’s not coherent and it’s not going to work.”