Protest over ‘camp attack’
Outcry after claims armed men targeted migrants
A LARGE protest against racism took place last night after an alleged attack on a homeless migrant camp in Dublin over the weekend.
It is alleged that on Saturday, a number of men with dogs, and armed with baseball bats and sticks, attacked the camp while shouting at the people there to get out. There were 15 tents in the camp near River Road, Ashtown, Dublin, with videos of the site circulating on social media in recent days.
Gardaí are investigating the alleged incident. Officers spoke with people present and there were no reports of any injuries. A protest was held in Ashtown last night to air concerns over racism, and it was reported that up to 200 people attended.
‘I’ve never been more worried’
Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called the alleged camp attack ‘very disturbing’.
He told The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk: ‘It has the feel and look of essentially a racist attack. These are people who are foreigners, people who are sleeping rough. I think it requires a full investigation by gardaí.’
Junior integration minister Joe O’Brien said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘disgusted’ over the allegations. He told RTÉ Radio: ‘It’s very worrying. I’ve worked in the area of migrant rights for 20 years plus; I’ve never been more worried about the safety and security of migrants in the country than I am now.’
Mr O’Brien said that although accommodation available for Ukrainians and asylum seekers is ‘extremely tight’, his understanding is that the people at the camp had not sought international protection.
The Green Party TD said the State needed to improve efforts to house asylum seekers.
‘We have human rights obligations that we need to fulfil as a State. It’s got to the stage where we need to source and obtain and take control of more State accommodation ourselves to fulfil our duties,’ he said.
He also said gardaí are monitoring ‘a small group’ who are vocal online about migration, and that authorities need to get better at putting accurate information out to the public.