Gardaí investigate suspected attack on homeless asylum seekers on Grand Canal – The Irish Times

Gardaí are investigating a suspected attack on tents used by homeless asylum seekers on Dublin’s Grand Canal.

Some of the male asylum seekers, more than 30 of whom have been living along the canal since Thursday, say they fear for their safety after the incident. They claim a group of people on bikes, some wearing face coverings, threw eggs at the tents, kicked and shook them and shouted “racism” and “abuse.” The alleged incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Saturday.

For several days, they say, people came to the area, photographed and filmed them without their consent, and insulted them.

“People have been attacked,” said a Palestinian man in his 30s on Sunday. “They came on bikes and threw eggs. It’s scary.” Broken eggshells could still be seen in several places on the path near the tents on Sunday.

Another man from North Africa said: “I don’t sleep. Fifteen people on bikes, masks on. Some have a knife. I’m afraid. It is a problem. I don’t sleep every night.”

A Zimbabwean man sitting at the bridge on Baggot Street also expressed fear and said he could not sleep after the incident. “You wonder what will happen next. It is frightening. God will protect us, I pray. I have been in Ireland for a month now waiting for the IPO (International Protection Office) to process my application. The thing is, there is no accommodation.”

Sitting with him was a young man (26) from Eritrea who arrived on Saturday evening. He said he went to the IPO on nearby Mount Street Lower and got to the warehouse after asking for help from a passing delivery cyclist who showed him the way there. He still didn’t have a tent on Sunday morning, but hoped to get one from a charity later.

“I sleep on the chair,” said the Eritrean, pointing to a bench.

A Bangladeshi man in his 40s said he was “very nervous” about his safety. “Someone kicked my tent and threw eggs. What if someone stabbed us? We’re not bothering anyone here. We always try to keep the area clean.”

For about 30 minutes, while the men were describing what had happened, two men with a dog came by and said, “This is a disgrace.” It’s a disgrace. We will make the final call.”

A few minutes later, a woman came by and also expressed her disapproval of the men. Several people stopped and took photos of the men and the tents. At one point, a man placed a telephone on a stand on the Baggot Street bridge and recorded himself speaking outside the tents for several minutes.

While some people scared the asylum seekers, others were “friendly” and “felt sorry for us,” the men said. Several passers-by stopped and chatted, and a local volunteer brought bread, fruit and bottles of water that she said she had purchased from a charity. As she was handing them out, an older man came by and said, “Well done. Good job.”

Several of the men said they had been at a larger camp further down the canal, which was cleared in a multi-agency operation on Thursday morning, but had “missed buses”.

Over 150 male asylum seekers were bussed to accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) in Crooksling, south west Dublin, and Dundrum as part of the operation. However, some men who had slept there were not allowed access to the accommodation for various reasons, including because they were not present at the camp between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the Thursday when the eviction took place.

A Garda spokesman said: “Gardaí are aware of an incident in which several tents were damaged on the Grand Canal on the night of Saturday 11 May 2024. The investigation is ongoing.

“Gardaí continue to liaise with the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) in relation to the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers presenting to the International Protection Office.

“Gardaí continue to work with anyone who sleeps outside and in all cases seek to direct these people to available services such as Council Outreach, Focus Ireland, Simon Community and others.”

Sources added: “Gardaí have recently increased patrols in areas where tents have been set up to deter attacks.”