Some asylum seekers leave Clare accommodation as ministers call on protesters to 'step down' blockade
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Seven asylum seekers have left the site of accommodation that was provided for them in Co Clare, during an ongoing blockage of access routes by locals to the site.
A group of 34 asylum seekers was accommodated at three holiday homes on the site of Magowna House Hotel in Inch on Monday evening.
However, access roads to the the site were then blocked by local protesters using tractors with another gate being blocked by a silage bail.
On Tuesday, some asylum seekers expressed fear over the ongoing situation while locals said they had concerns about fire safety and sewage management.
It is understood more asylum seekers are due to leave later
Earlier, four men left the accommodation on foot and walked back down the road towards Ennis, about an hour and a half away on foot.
One, who was asked why he was leaving, said: “We are not welcome here and we don’t want any trouble.”
Government ministers earlier called on protesters to step down the blockade outside the Clare hotel.
It had been reported that the asylum seekers were staying in the hotel but Minister of State at the Department of Integration Joe O’Brien said there had been “some confusion” and that they are currently being housed in three holiday homes.
The understands the hotel will be used to accommodate asylum-seekers once a fire cert and sewage issues are sorted.
Mr O'Brien said he believed the blockade had occurred as a result of a misunderstanding and has asked the up to 50 local people blocking the road to “step down the blockade”.
He said the Government was waiting for a fire cert for the hotel which was being “worked on”.
The holiday homes are “safe and suitable”, Mr O’Brien told RTÉ’s .
He said as part of the arrangement to accommodate the asylum-seekers in the homes, transport was part of the deal as well. There will be a shuttle bus to and from Ennis every day.
There were tense exchanges outside the centre on Tuesday with some asylum seekers now wanting to leave the accommodation over concerns for their safety and lack of satisfaction with the accommodation.
Some asylum seekers took their belongings and left them outside in preparation for leaving. Others said they were happy to stay.
Sultan Muhammad, from Afghanistan, said he came to Ireland five months ago and had been staying in Citywest in Dublin.
He described the situation in Co Clare as “difficult” but said the accommodation was “okay”.
“We are feeling good here. I like this place.” He added: “I like it, I will live here.”
One of the drivers of the tractors in the protest, who did not want to provide his name, said locals had concerns about fire safety and sewage management on the site.
He said they expected another bus to arrive and that the asylum seekers were being moved “underhandedly”.
“So we stopped the roads, we blocked the roads so a second bus could not get in.
He said this was because there would be “70 people in this locality with nowhere to go”.
He questioned how the asylum seekers would integrate into the community. Protesters said they would not prevent an asylum seeker from leaving.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the Government and local authorities will be engaging with the local community in Co Clare to "ease" any concerns they may have over the housing of asylum-seekers.
Speaking as he arrived for a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Mr Martin said: "I would ask that that level of engagement and cooperation will take place and that there is no need for the blockades.
"We have to work hard on the communication side of it, in terms of engagement and in terms of clarifying and dealing with any issues or concerns that people may have," he said.
Locals became aware that Magowna House was likely to be used as an emergency accommodation centre and a public meeting was held in nearby Kilmaley last week where there was clear opposition to the move.
The protestors had refused access for a pizza delivery to Magowna House on Monday evening, but said this morning that they would allow food to be brought through on 'humanitarian grounds'.
It comes as Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman and Justice Minister Simon Harris will meet with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris this week following violent scenes at a protest on Sandwith Street in Dublin, where asylum-seekers’ belongings were set on fire.
Elsewhere, four large sites are due to come on stream in two weeks’ time, including repurposed office buildings.
Three units in Dublin and one in Clare are expected to significantly reduce the number of international protection (IP) applicants that have not been offered State accommodation.
As reported in the on Monday, the Government is also considering sheltering refugees by procuring barges which can offer “floating accommodation”.
Officials are now examining what the British government has done in Dorset, in which it has used a three-story barge to house hundreds of asylum-seekers.
A spokesperson for the department confirmed they are considering using 'floatels' to help with the “severe accommodation shortage.”
The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) has “explored options” for “floating accommodation” by engaging with other jurisdictions to understand their experiences, a spokesperson said. There is consultation with various stakeholders including the Maritime Unit at the Department of Transport.
“It continues to evaluate and progress the potential use of ‘floating’ accommodation such as cruise ships and floatels, to accommodate international protection applicants,” they added.
“It is not possible to comment on specific proposals at this point.”