ASYLUM SEEKERS NOW housed in Dundrum House Hotel in Co Tipperary are fearing for their safety due to “ongoing harassment and intimidation”, according to a migrant rights organisation.
Children have allegedly witnessed their mothers be subjected to slurs on a daily basis, with a vast majority of residents feeling trapped on the site due to feeling “afraid to walk out of the centre” because of the presence of some protesters outside.
“It is particularly concerning that there are children in the centre in Dundrum, and that they have to see and hear the daily abuse being directed at their families” said Doras.
The Limerick-based non-profit human rights organisation visited the site in west Tipperary this week.
Since May, the hotel has been the scene of a protest after locals learned it would house asylum seekers alongside Ukrainians.
A number of protesters told The Journal that they want to see the hotel brought back to commercial use, while others said they believed the presence of asylum seekers would make the area “unsafe”.
Last week a group of approximately 70 people seeking international protection, comprising women and children, were housed in the hotel.
“Doras is very concerned about the situation the international protection applicants in Dundrum find themselves in,” chief executive John Lannon told The Journal.
Having met some of the residents at the centre, we know how frightened they are. They are seeing and hearing racist abuse, and are fearful they could be subject to physical violence if this situation continues.
Lannon said the “actions of some” who have been taking part in a picket outside the hotel are making “life intolerable” for women and children inside the hotel.
He said this included people being recorded and photographed and in some cases having others knock on the doors of their apartments to disturb them.
The local protest group, Dundrum Says No, told The Journal that it was highly confident that “any such behaviour is not coming from anyone involved” in the group’s protest outside the hotel gates.
It said the nature of the hotel grounds – a resort spread across more than 200 acres – means that people can enter and use the facilities at different times of the day.
“We would like to clarify that the grounds on which Dundrum House is located include a golf course, bar, and leisure centre that are open to the public,” the group said.
“It’s important to note that because these facilities are open to the public, the residents may interact with various individuals, not all of whom are associated with our group.”
The group added that it has made “significant efforts to assist them [people seeking international protection] in any way
we can”, including the provision of “cleaning products, sweets, transportation to and from the village, and information on local bus services”.
The intervention by Doras was echoed by another migrant rights group, called Every Child is Your Child, which criticised large signs in Dundrum and outside the hotel saying “IPAS [International Protection Accommodation Services] not welcome here”.
The group said this was “chilling” for the families to see and said the “hostility” they received was an attempt to make “innocent people” feel like a threat to the local community.
A statement last night from Dundrum Says No indicated that it was willing to “look at the signs” used by the protest and make changes to what’s on display facing families staying at the hotel.
The statement said the signs these were put up to “express our community’s serious concerns about the hotel being converted into an IPAS Centre”, and that the “intention behind the signage was never to cause distress” to the residents.
The group said the signage was to voice concerns about the” impact on our community of having a permanent IPAS Centre as opposed to temporary accommodation for the Ukrainians”.
“Therefore, our “No to IPAS” referred to the hotel being used as an IPAS centre; it was not targeted at IPAS residents as individuals,” the statement continued.
However, it added: “Nonetheless, we will look at the signs and make any changes we feel are needed, as our commitment
remains to ensure a safe and supportive environment for everyone in Dundrum.”
Lannon said Doras has been contacted by people in and around Dundrum, and further afield in Tipperary, who are “outraged” over how new arrivals are being “treated by a small number” of protesters.
His comments come on foot of a newly formed umbrella organisation announcing it’s garnered more than 300 signatures from across Tipperary seeking to “reject hate” in the county.
A statement from Tipperary Welcomes said its members want to push back against an “atmosphere of fear” which it said was attempting to “silence” some in their communities.
The signatures include elected representatives from Sinn Féin and Labour, as well as 25 civic and community organisations hailing from dozens of towns and villages in Co Tipperary.
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