DUBLIN:Protesters at the East Wall want a vote on the housing of asylum seekers.

Photo: Collins

Protesters opposed to the housing of asylum seekers in the East Wall have called for a referendum on how they are accommodated and vowed not to meet any more politicians until their demands are met.

Protests and blockades of Dublin’s Port tunnel have now entered their third week and the East Wall Committee have hardened on their stance to continue until a former ESB office building being used to accommodate the asylum seekers is shut down or the government accedes to their demands on how men, women and children are housed.

Up to 100 male asylum seekers were bused into the former ESB building at the end of November. Now the protestors claim men, women and children are being accommodated at the former office block in unacceptable conditions.

The accommodation of the asylum seekers in the structure, which has a direct view of the Lighthouse apartment building and elementary school, was done without consulting any council members, council management, or neighbourhood residents.

According to the department, the country's commitment to housing asylum seekers has come under increasing pressure, which led to the conversion of the former ESB office building on East Wall Road into an accomodation centre.

"Today, the State has populated the building with men, women, and children; these are obviously not new arrivals but have been brought there from other facilities," said Nigel Murphy, a representative for the East Wall Protest Committee. "This is a tactic by the State to attempt to neutralise our protest," he added.

How can it be right that so many people were taken from hotel rooms and demoted to a cubicle in an office building?

Mr. Murphy added: "We won't meet with any more political representatives until they acquiesce to our demands in light of the State's actions from today. We won't be influenced by politicians that form organisations in the area to try to defend their own political base and deflect attention from the important subject."

He stated that the Government is being urged to have a straightforward referendum because they believe the Irish people support what they are doing.

According to Mr. Murphy, the Committee urges the rest of the country to organise into local organisations and protest what they refer to as "madness".

"We want to build on our current achievements while also understanding the struggles that other communities face. The recklessness of open borders, the distribution of the populace's riches to hotel owners and other contractors, and these are things that the Irish people deserve more than "said he.

Residents and protesters expressed their worries that 380 asylum seekers would be accommodated at the former ESB site and on North Richmond Street without any prior notice to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Equality Roderic O'Gorman.

All of the asylum claimants to date are from Nigeria, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

Both properties will also house women and children, according to the government.

A much-needed national debate is currently taking place in almost every living room, radio station, newspaper, television station, social media platform, and the Dáil and Seanad, according to Mr. Murphy, who also said that the East Wall protest has established "the benchmark for de-political debate around sensitive topics."

According to Department of Equality forecasts, they must fulfil their international housing commitments for asylum seekers.

The government has predicted a shortage of 15,000 beds for asylum seekers this month and anticipates that the number of Ukrainian immigrants and applicants for international protection will continue to rise.